INTERNET ADULTHOOD

As the co-designer of TCP/IP and the architecture of the Internet, Vinton Cerf is one of the acknowledged founders of the Web. He and Robert E. Kahn were awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology by President Clinton in 1997. We talked with him about online evolution, security and the Internet in outer space.

On the Web: “I would be lying if I said the Internet grew up the way I expected it to because I don't think I had specific expectations. At this point we have a fascinating mix of machines that you put in your lap, machines that you strap to your hip and large-scale machines that you access through the Web. So in a sense, more computing ability is in the Internet universe than many of us anticipated.”

On e-commerce: “There were a lot of people who chastised me for espousing a commercial Internet. The attitude was, ‘Why would you let those money-grubbers into the playpen?’ The answer is, if you don't do that, the Internet won't pay for itself, and eventually it will come to a grinding halt. The thing which has surprised me has been the amount of political turmoil surrounding the Web. Domain names have turned into an enormously contentious concept, although I'm pretty sure that it's temporary. If alternatives are found to represent Internet addresses with some form of symbolic identifier, it may be that the role of the domain name will diminish.”

On security: “There were several aspects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. One was the sense that the Internet held up really well compared to the telephone system. That's not an entirely fair characterization — the Internet itself wasn't under any specific attack. On the other hand, it also raises all kinds of expectations about the Internet's ability to operate under hostile conditions. What we'll see is a continued initiative to tighten security on the Net and to reduce the risk that hackers can penetrate various systems and cause trouble.”

On what's next: “We're close to the interplanetary Internet in several respects. I just met with the design team, and we're stabilizing the architecture. We've published at least one draft document that describes how the system would work, and we've implemented some prototype software. We're hoping to have onboard the 2003 Rover launch some of the software that will be applicable to an interplanetary Internet, and I'm hoping within the next 10 years at least to have a two-planet Internet in place between Earth and Mars.”

DOSSIER VINTON CERF

Occupation: Senior vice president for Internet architecture and technology at WorldCom; chairman, ICANN

Place of residence: Camelot, Va.

Current reading: “The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society” by Manuel Castells.

Hobbies: “I'm a classical music fan. I particularly enjoy Wagner. The standing joke is that you can always tell you're listening to a Wagnerian opera because you go in at 7:00, and when you check your watch at a quarter to 10, it's 7:15.”

Next project: “I'm fascinated by nanotechnology. In the 21st century, biology and technology will find a common utility.”