The Invention That Made the Internet Possible
In this episode of ScienceLive, he tells the complete story for the first time, in his own words. It starts with a problem. J. Willard Marriott, founder of the Marriott Hotels empire, had 12 of IBM’s largest mainframe computers — the biggest the company made — and they still couldn’t keep up with reservation demand. IBM told him a 13th machine would crash the entire system. He needed a solution that didn’t exist yet. Dr. Billings invented one.
His concept was elegantly simple: instead of every computer trying to talk to every other computer simultaneously, create a dedicated “library” computer — what we now call a server — that any number of users could query independently. The result was a system that could scale to an unlimited number of users without overloading. He called it Universal Networking, patented it as U.S. Patent No. 4,714,989, and proved it worked by installing it at real businesses around the world using the Billings Microcomputer — one of the earliest personal computers ever built.
Today, every website, every app, and every internet transaction runs on this same client-server principle.
This is the story of one of the most important and least-known inventions of the 20th century — told by the man who invented it.
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This live was incredible!! So much fun to watch!
learned a lot great video!
Go science live!
love you Mr. billing
I love watching the Science Live videos!
Wow never knew that about the internet thank you Dr billings!
This is my first week with the program. I really like it.
The hydrogen robot being able to work basically as soon as it’s finished printing and also being able to go underwater is really cool! I’m sure there are so many ways to efficiently use it.
I’ve only really used a smart watch, but I’ve always thought that normal watches were really cool. So, learning the history and how they used tuning forks to make them was very cool!
Thank you for teaching us. I love the first video/Science live.
Cool science live 🙂
It was so cool learning about how they invented the watch. I didn’t know that there is crystal in every watch, that’s such a cool thing to know. Also the process was very tricky to make a watch but it payed off in the end and now we all use watches!!!
What do I have to do to enter Science fair, what buttons do I have to press *
This is a cool invention!!!!I love science live ☺️☺️☺️☺️
I love the scholarship program
that was cool
it awesome that dr billings was one of the people to help make the internet
Amazing episode today!
Do we still use quartz in watches today?
I love Dr. Billings!
i always enjoy watching science live
This weeks Science Live was a very good one. Dr. Billing’s gave a great speech at the end.
woah, I love science lives sooo much!! Can’t wait to see what we learn next week!!
This was a really great video!
Love watching these lives!
This is the best. I’m so happy I get to watch science live.
That’s crazy that he helped make the Internet!
so cool I love these lives!!
I like science almost as much as Zoeey
Great Job Dr. Billings God Bless You and Your Family And Those Who Are Reading This
this is so cool!
Extraordinarily inquisitive episode, Dr. Billings!
Another great episode! Great science fair ideas!
I love watching lives, and seeing what the next live will be about💕💕
Dr Billings is awesome
im a vampire, just kidding i like garlic!
I wish I could go to the science fair but I live in Utah sorry
Loved This Epiosde!
so cool ! I love watching science lives!
Wow! It’s so amazing to learn that Dr.Billings helped to create the network to help the military, just goes to show what opportunities you may have if you just put your ideas out there! Thanks Science Live 🙂
Thanks for the video!
I love watching science live! Best part of my week!
Thank you for always encouraging and inspiring us Dr.Billings!
THIS IS SO COOL!!
So cool Dr. Billings helped make the internet.
i know right!!
The Internet is such an interesting and amazing thing to learn about. Love this episode!!
Thamk you for the opportunity to be here!
thanks Dr Billings for another great weekly video!
Hi Dr. B! How many IBM 370’s do you think it would take to match a modern day scientific calculator (not even graphing) in terms of power? Also are there any other materials that vibrate at a very consistent rate like quartz?
Comment I enjoyed learning about the watches.
This was a great listen thank you Mr. Roger!
I’ve stayed at a Marriot before but never knew anything about the founder
This is brilliant! I love learning about the creation of some of the most important inventions that we use today.
how did you make the first computer
Dr. Billings is awesome!!
I absolutely love Acellus! Its so helpful and I especially love mister Todd’s history classes!
I love science
I’m always super interested in these lives!
Such a cool broadcast!
Thank you guys for changing my life with science live
i dident know thats how watches work
Its cool to learn about the history of watches and how they work.
I have a science project but me and my family need to go out of town to my dads work trip but I would not have enough time to do it when we come bake in town could you expand the deadline please.
i honestly like watching the lives ill put it on my phone and watch while i get some other work done and it just helps alot its good
You are awesome Dr. Billings!!
we love science live.
I love the internet!!! Thanks Dr.B!!!
Don’t love it too much…
I love watching these every wednesday!
Sooo cool! Thank you!
that is so cool how that robot runs on air the is amazing!
This is such a wonderful part our school.
Thank you so much roger billings for this opportunity
Science live is amazing!
Barnes, family science live day! Will definitely be doing the science fair in the next couple of years
That is so heart warming that you are willing to sell one of your prized possesions to afford to pay for kids tuition, I am so greatful for this program.
I loved seeing all the science project ideas that other kids came up with!!
Me too
The segment about the robots was really cool.
Wow these science lives are so fascinating!
R51 my favorite ice cream is vanilla. Thank you for your awesome inventions.
I like chocolate ice cream
This live was great! Thank you for making this.
This is a cool invention! I love Acellus!
Me and my mom really enjoy watching these every week!!!
Don’t give up the jet, Dr. B.. but we do appreciate your passion and dedication for our children’s education
Learning all kinds of new things thru Acellus.
The watch was really cool!
Thank you for everything you do!
sad this will be my last Science Live but can’t wait for everything to come! Just wanted to say a quick thank you for making my time on here so fun for learning I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way!
How do we get to see a Science Live in person? I would love to be in the audience!
Great question Ronan, we’d love to have you and your family attend! Your parent can register online: https://sciencelive.com/book-tickets/
I look forward to seeing everyone’s science projects.
I appreciate these science videos, I always learn something new!!
love this information!
I love Acellus!
Dr. Billings is a awesome man.
This is such an awesome live!
Glad this live was LIVE!
would watch again
I am so grateful for the scholarship program thank you!
That video helped me understand why science is important and how it works thanks
My fave ice cream is mint cochlet
I thought the evolution of time was really cool!!
thank you that video helps he understand more about science and give it give me more to learn about science and more.
It’s so amazing how we can use non electric sources to power a robot!
Dr Billings is good at it!
wow this episode is just wow, i loveeeeeeeeee science live
Hello Accelus! Learning about the internet was so cool
im so thankful for the scolarship program!!
Comment ILove this school
i loved this opportunity to learn somthing new and in exciting ways, love the lives every week!!
I thought the air pneumatic robot was cool.
I love these videos I learn a lot
You did it again.
science live is the best part of the week!
science videos are so awesome because I can learn a lot and have fun.
I’m happy to see Dr John back in science live again, we all missed you.
loving science live this week
thanks for another cool video.
These lives are so cool!
This was so cool to learn! Thank you.
I really liked the 3d printed pneumatic powered robot! It was fun to watch it come alive once the air was put on it!
Dr.B is awesome! Love learning about all things science!
I❤️Acellus!
Me and my family are such big fans of Dr. Billings and science live.
Learning about internet was really cool!!
really interesting video! Loved this one.
I’m such a big fan of these lives!
Once again the lives are so interesting!
Great video, with the new robots that does not need air would it be possible for it to be bigger? Or function like a human? Either way very fascinating.
I loved this live!
I love this SO much
great to be watching
Dr. Billings is so cool I love this live!!
Thank you for another great show!
yes dr billings!!
I just built a hydrogen battery for my science fair. Thanks for the inspo Dr. B!!!!!!!
I thought the tuning forks were cool!
I like the idea of the 3d printing and how easy it is to just build small things like what was in the video because it simplifies a lot of things
Of course eccentric exercise can change people’s lives.
never new watches worked like that I always though it was hundreds of gears.
The way you have produced so many inventions is so cool!
thank you for the program!! i’ve been doing acellus for almost two years now and it’s amazing!
I just learned about time dialation.
science live is so cool
thank you for the scholarship. Much appreciated!
Cool experiments and so smart!
Wow! Todays science live was unbelievable!
learning about the internet is so cool
Dr. Billings is so smart!
Acellus is an amazing opportunity to learn and Dr. Billings is cool!
I so much appreciate the help you give. If you didn’t have this scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to do the Acellus program.
Thank you for the scholarship program!
If you didn’t know I’m 6 years old I’m almost 7 my birthday is on August 6
Thank you for the scholarship I do truely enjoy it🩷
Thank you so much for the scholarship program, it is really nice. Also, I really liked the electronic chip ice cream.
Great video, learned alot.
Hello from IA
Dr. Billings is so wonderful!
Thank you for teaching us about the internet! I think it’s really cool that Dr. Billings created the technology behind it.
absolutely awesome 🙌
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE🩷❤️💓
Wow, what a great Science Live! So cool to hear about pneumatically-powered robots and its applications in radioactive technologies!
my sister and me both do acellus and it is so much better than public school
The internet is so cool!!
Dr.billings is so cool I love these lives so much!
Thank you for inventing the technology.
Thank you so much for the weekly science videos. Dr billings ur the best to ever do it.
all of the kids features are so smart oh my goodness
loving accelus!
Computer are always so fascinating!
I love this live!
The robot powered by air was crazy cool! I can’t wait to see more updates on tech in the coming years.
I swear I learn something new every time I listen
How do you make a blueprint?
This Science Live video was awesome!
Science live is amazing! Keep up the great work Dr. Billings!
This video was good. Thank you.
it would be so cool to have bill lear as a mentor
I’m so glad I got to watch this video. The 3D printed robot was so cool. The flu stinks
I Love these lives!!
I love being able to go on the internet
Dr. Billings is awesome. I love science live!!
Having internet is crazy because they didn’t have internet back then
Thank you for your generosity. It was interesting learning about how early computers were used with hotels.
I’m so glad Dr. Billings the technology for acellus!! Acellus is amazing!!
Dr. Billings is amazing!
Loved it