[1301] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Summary of Statistics
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Joanne Holiday)
Thu Sep 24 12:25:34 1992
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 11:21:20 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Joanne Holiday <p00012@mail.psi.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Many thanks to all who contributed quotes and sources of statistics on
the size/growth/nature of the information explosion.
I received many responses requesting that the results be posted. I'm
glad to do it.
I received rather fewer responses containing actual sources or quotes.
The responses I did receive are compiled in the text file attached.
While I have cited sources for quotes, in the interest of space, time,
and copyright protection, I did not provide quotes themselves.
The attached compilation lists sources of statistics describing the
internet and the state of the information explosion in general. I hope
it is in some way useful. I did provide some statistics at the end,
which I gathered through phone calls to the respective organizations.
Thanks again to all who read my original message and replied in any way,
shape, or form.
Information Sources: Internet Growth/Information Explosion
-----------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Joanne Holiday P00012@mail.psi.net
Please note: This is a compilation of responses to my request
for statistics and quotes about the information explosion.
I have not read all the references listed here.
Any inclusion or accidental exclusion is not meant as
a recommendation or judgment. Source persons are listed
in brackets unless many people suggested the same source.
Many thanks again to all who contributed.
-----------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 1: INTERNET/ELECTRONIC SOURCES
SECTION 2: HARDCOPY PUBLICATIONS
SECTION 3: ORGANIZATIONS
SECTION 4: MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS
------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 1:
INTERNET/ELECTRONIC SOURCES
RFC 1296
Written by Mark Lottor of SRI, reports results of ZONE program for
the number of Internet hosts, Domain Name System domains, and hosts
within domains.
pub/zone directory on ftp.nisc.sri.com
FTP files here for detailed data in vein of RFC1296.
Anonymous ftp to jazz.aarnet.edu.au
A README and a series of postscript files on the Australian Academic
and Research Network (AARNET) usage.
[From Allyn Radford <allyn_radford@muwayf.unimelb.edu.au>]
<NIC.MERIT.EDU> /nsfnet/statistics/history.packets
File contains numerical statistics on NSFNET Packet Traffic History
(in millions of packets)
<NIC.MERIT.EDU> /nsfnet/statistics/nets.by.country
Information on NSFNET Networks by Country
[Above 2 from: zalubskj@nic.ddn.mil (John Zalubski)]
____________________________________________________________
SECTION 2:
HARDCOPY PUBLICATIONS
"The Information Explosion: Fact or Myth?" by Joseph Williams and Jon D.
Clark. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT, Feb 1992 (Vol 29,
No.1), p 79-83. Abstract:
Many claims have been made regarding the nature and
pervasiveness of the rate of information growth in our era;
most opinions allude to the popular notion that information
growth has been explosive. We examine data collected to
measure patterns of information growth during the last century
in the U.S. Our results show that it is information
distribution and not information production that has
experienced explosive growth during the time frame.
_Information_Anxiety_ by Richard Saul Wurman.
See pg 38 for quotable statements on information explosion.
"The Changing Role of Higher Education in a Learning Society" by K.P.
Cross, _Continuum_ 1985, 49(2), pp 101-110.
"Long-term Trends Affecting Undergraduate Education into the Twenty-First
Century" by M. Centron. Paper presented at the National Education
Conference, 28 September 1988, Kansas City, Missouri. Arlington, VA:
Forecasting International, 1988.
_The_Micro_Millennium_ by Christopher Evans
Good source of quotes about vast magnitude of existing information-
processing capabilities.
[Above 4 sources from: D.Viehland@massey.ac.nz (Dennis W. Viehland,
Senior Lecturer, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand)]
_Matrix_News_ newsletter published by John Quarterman. Hi
Contact John Quarterman at mids@tic.com, phone 512-329-1087.
[from whitaker@maricopa.edu (Janet Whitaker Director, Instructional
Technology Maricopa Community College District)]
Annual essay in _National Online Proceedings_ by Martha Williams,
Charts the growth of the commercial database industry.
[From: Clifford Lynch <CALUR%UCCMVSA.bitnet@uccvma.ucop.edu>]
Book Research Quarterly, Winter 1989-90, 5(4), and Fall 1990 6(3).
Gives UNESCO book production statistics.
Information Proc and Mgt 27(5) 1991, Population Bibliography.
On reliability of databases as indicators of literature
Scientometrics 23(1) 1992.
On databases in general.
[Above 3 from Gretchen Whitney, GWHITNEY@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU, Assistant
Prof of the Gradual Library School, University of AZ]
------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 3:
ORGANIZATIONS
Merit/NSFNET, 2901 Hubbard, Pod G
Ann Arbor, MI 28105-2016.
1-800-66-MERIT or NSFNET-info@merit.edu
Publishers of Link Letter newsletter, and other charts and graphs on
NSFNET packet traffic history
[From whitaker@maricopa.edu (Janet Whitaker Director, Instructional
Technology Maricopa Community College District)]
An especially helpful person there is Corinne Carroll <ccarroll@bbn.com> (jh)
------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 4:
MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS
ARCHIE:
- Sites in ARCHIE's list of anonymous FTP sites:
Currently about 1250, it varies depending on the server (they
are not very coordinated yet). We have about another 500 VMS
sites which we know about be currently don't track (but we
will very soon).
- Every site has one ftp listing. Some vary in size from a couple of
bytes to 13Mb or so.
- Rate at which new sites are registered: 10-15 a month (approx.)
- Entries in Whatis database: approx 3500. Maybe a bit less.
[From: bajan@bunyip.com (Alan Emtage)]
Adapted from RFC129
Hosts: 992,000 [890,000 hosts in Apr 1992]
Domains: 16,300 [approximately]
RFC STATS:
There are (as of August 5, 1992) 1327 RFC's providing information and
standards.
There are now 15 FYIs, and 33 STD numbers have been associated
with the most up to date versions of the full Internet Standards.
RFC growth rate statistics are published in a chart in "Connexions" Vol.6,
No.6, June 92.
[From: postel@ISI.EDU (Jon Postel)
BOOK PUBLISHING:
1 million titles (approx) currently in print, from over 40,000 publishing
houses (_Books_In_Print, 1992-92, introduction).
National Technical Information Service (NTIS), a clearinghouse for
sci/tech info in the U.S., has a microfiche inventory of 2 million titles,
which includes all NTIS tech reports distributed from 1945. It ships some
12,000 information products per day.
The OCLC union catalog has over 24,837,459 bibliographic records; approx
2 million are added each year.
Compiled by Joanne Holiday
p00012@mail.psi.net
