Internet or internet 3

[Chance1234]

read in the news today about the debate on whether the internet should be with a capital or without. I'm sure quite a few people on this board will have a interesting opinion!

Chance,

Filmmaker, gentlemen and explorer

http://WWW.HOWTOBESPOOKY.CO.UK

 

[CajunCenturion]

To me the answer to whether or not you should capitalize Internet depends on how you would answer the following question:

Is Internet a proper noun?

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[sleipnir214]

The editorial policy at Wired Magazine had always included a rule that required Internet to be spelled with an initial capital. That, however, changed on 2004-08-16.

Yourdictionary.com and m-w.com both show the word with an initial capital, also.

Personally, I agree with the Wired article. I've never seen any great need to capitalize the word and rarely have.



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[Dimandja]

My own preference is to capitalize. This is because there aren't a bunch of internets out there -- there is just the one. On that note, there are many intranets.

As to the wired article, they compare Internet to the television revolution, however each household strived to get a TV set -- while you can only get on the one Internet.

 

[jerryreeve]

The internet is still a "thing" and it is undergoing change on a continuing basis. It is a little presumptious to beleive that there might not be a second evolution of the internet such as internet plus (Oh No, another IP..)

Besides which internet is a descreptive of "between networks" as opposed to intranet "within networks" by that I mean that it is more a description of what it does than a name for it. I agree with wired news on their logic against capitalization.

If voting could really change things, it would be illegal.

JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[CajunCenturion]

The internet is still a "thing" and it is undergoing change on a continuing basis.

The Internet is still a thing, but is it a specific thing?

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[Dimandja]

Let's try to use the word 'internet' (note: not capitalized) in a phrase. This may help clarify things.

For example you can say:
"I like this car."

But all you can say is:
"I like the Internet."

 

[sleipnir214]

No, I'm sure I have at least once written,

"I like the internet."



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[Dimandja]

The point is the choice of the article that precedes Internet. Sorry, I didn't clarify that.

For example, do you say "I like this I/internet"?

The point is there is only one of it.

 

[CajunCenturion]

I think the answer is both.

If you refer to an internet as a generic term, then it is a common noun and should not be capitalized. However, if you refer to The Internet, then you're using a proper noun and should be capitalized.

Along the same lines, there are cascades in virtually every mountain range throughout the world. But there is only one Cascades Mountain Range, which lies in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. When using cascades in the general sense, it would not be capitalized. When using Cascades to refer to that specific mountain range, then it should be capitalized.

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[Dimandja]

I think the answer is both.

No, CC, not both -- it's either depending on the meaning.

The explanation you gave, which I agree with, explicitly says what I implied by the examples: "If you refer to an internet as a generic term, then it is a common noun and should not be capitalized. However, if you refer to The Internet, then you're using a proper noun and should be capitalized."

 

[sleipnir214]

Actually, I have heard something similar.

A client of a former employer had a set of four networks at different geographic sites. My employer got the client set up with a WAN which internetworked his formerly separate networks.

After a few tweaks to get the thing tuned, I heard the company office manager say, "I like this internet thing."


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[Dimandja]

How technically and linguistically competent is this company office manager? Just kidding, don't answer that. Ok, half kidding.

 

[sleipnir214]

This was before everyone and his dog was connected to the internet.

I've also seen the nomenclature in government labs where there are two networks in the building -- one connected to the global internet, and one a secure internet which connects the labs. The secure internet has websites, email, and all the other stuff you see on the global internet (with less general content, of course, but with fewer annoyances like spam). But if you want to send email outside the system, you have to use one of a small number of common-use terminals, which have no floppy, CD-ROM, or external ports.


At one time I was a proponent of Internet, and I still recommend its use when necessary for disambiguation purposes. But in general, it's not necessary. I would no more capitalize internet than I would aspirin or the atmosphere.


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[JediBMC]

This is actually simple to solve. “Internet” and “internet” are two distinct words. “Internet” is a proper noun, while “internet” is simply a noun. Here is a better understanding of the difference:

Internet (Capitol I):
The name of the global inter-network created from the ARPAnet project. This network utilizes the TCP/IP protocol and is carried across public telephone networks.

internet (Lower i):
A large network used to interconnect multiple local area networks. This network can utilize multiple protocols and is between several organizations.

It is not uncommon to hear network architects reference the “Internet” as the “Big I”, specifically to differentiate it from an “internet”.

So if you are referencing the “Internet”, you should certainly use the capitol “I”. If you are talking about an inter-network, then the lower “i” is appropriate.


-Brian-
I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV.

 

[GlenJohnson]

From the pro's.


Inernet

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.
TTinChicago
Johnson Computers

 

[strongm]

The pro's probably don't call it the 'Inernet'...

 

[GwydionM]

The internet is a medium, and should be treated like radio, film, print etc.

In fact the idea was around before the specific technology got going. THere was Prestel in Britain, and Mintel in France.

As for other nets, surely it is an intranet if only a secective group of people can get at it?

------------------
A view from the UK

 

[jrbarnett]

I understand JediBMC's distinction between the two words, however minor they may be.
Personally though, I would use WAN or MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) rather than "internet" to differentiate between networks covering a large area to avoid confusion.

<off topic>
My recently reinstalled Word XP will, out of the box, capitalise the initial i, thus turning internet into Internet.
</off topic>

My main gripe though is for people referring to "the internet" when they really mean "the web." Even Tim Berners Lee refers to it as thus in his book about the story of the web, so I can't see the general use changing anytime soon even though it annoys me.
I can fully understand the general public not understanding the full range of protocols and data that travel across the internet, is if the internet is the web as inferred by many people, my question to them is what service does email (the other service that most people will have come across) use to travel around the planet?

John

 

[lgarner]

According to dictionary.com (and my recollection), a proper noun is one which refers to a specific person, place or thing.

n : a noun that denotes a particular thing; usually capitalized [syn: proper name] [ant: common noun]

I think that the Internet has reached the status of "specific thing", and should be capitalized.

Similarly, I suspect that there are many white houses in Washington, D.C., but only one "White House".