---
tags: [ARPA, ARPANET, networks, computer-history]
created: Friday, October 18, 2024
---

# f0f70a3c_ARPANET_motivations

It is inaccurate to say that the chief motivation in creating the ARPANET was to
create a network that could withstand nuclear conflict, where mulitple nodes
could be hit and the network could still go on functioning.

Ideas that originated from this concern _did_ influence the project (chiefly
[Paul Baran's work on distributed networks](385af4b4_baran_distributed_networks.md)
at RAND), but this was not the concern of the ARPANET.

ARPA's objectives were focused more on reducing efficiency in the academic and
military projects it sponsored.

Different models of computer were used throughout the
military-industrial-academic complex. Users required different logins and a
knowledge of different operating systems and programming languages in order to
be able to use them.

At the same time, there was a duplication of hardware. Different projects would
all require their own computer to do their research. It would be better if the
same computer could be accessed by multiple teams through time-sharing (already
in existene) and a network.

Finally, results from different research projects were being duplicated.
Different teams would be producing the same data independently of one another
because the data could not be readily shared. If this redundancy could be
removed, and the data accessed and shared between multiple projects, teams could
focus on new research and the production of novel applications.
