Bitnet

/ˈbɪt.nɛt/ noun

Definition

A now-defunct computer network from the 1980s-90s that connected computers at universities and research institutions, primarily for email and file transfer before the modern Internet.

Etymology

Acronym for 'Because It's Time NETwork,' named humorously by its creators. Developed at CUNY in 1981, it represented an important early attempt at computer networking beyond ARPANET.

Kelly Says

BITNET was the internet before the internet took over—it had email, file transfer, and academic networking, but used different protocols; when the web exploded in the 1990s, BITNET faded away because TCP/IP was more universal.

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