Without them the internet wouldnt exist
from the vanity fair article a oral history of the internet
Marc Andreessen: Mosaic was built at the University of Illinois. I was an undergrad student, but I was also a staff member at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, which is basically a federally funded research institute. When Al Gore says that he created the Internet, he means that he funded these four national supercomputing centers. Federal funding was critical. I tease my libertarian friends?they all think the Internet is the greatest thing. And I?m like, Yeah, thanks to government funding.
Its a very interesting read like the first spam was sent 1978:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/fe...?currentPage=1