The initial form of the World Wide Web was phenomenally different from what it is today. In the early years, the web was more of an information reservoir. The information was stored on local computers, and people could access it from within the organization only. Internet software, or distributed applications, are at the core of various online services and functions. Today, we try to understand more about this phenomenal concept.

Internet software systems
This is a software system that is primarily used for the development of distributed applications. Such applications are developed using either Java Development or .NET Development. Some of the most common examples of modern-day distributed applications are WhatsApp, Facebook, and Gmail.

Java is a software development language that is the primary language used for writing the code of distributed apps. James Gosling from Sun Microsystems is responsible for developing Java. He developed it in 1995 while working at Bell Laboratories. Today, Java is a very popular language used by programmers all across the world, especially for distributed app development.

.NET is a framework that was developed by the software giant Microsoft. The year was 1990. Ten years later, the Beta version of .NET was introduced by Microsoft. As a result, the .NET software framework is best for the development of distributed apps compatible with Windows. Through Visual Studios, the software company enables an integrated environment for the development of distributed apps.

Evolution of internet software
The concept of distributed applications over the internet was born with distributed computing. The first examples of distributed computation were two programs called Creeper and Reaper. These two were a part of the ARPANET system, which existed before the internet. This was during the 1970s. A worm program developed in 1973 at the Palo Alto Research Centre also worked like the Creeper and Reaper programs to generate computer graphics.

The internet-based software saw the light of the day in 1988 and was developed at the DEC System Research Center. In 1997, a project called distributed.net was probably the first time the internet was used to distribute data. In this case, users could download the program. In 1999, a project by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was undertaken to understand radio signals collected by the Arecibo Radio Telescope. The project was carried out at the University of California and popularized the internet and distributed computing concept.

Uses
The software is responsible for working apps like WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. WhatsApp, for example, is a freeware that works as a messaging platform allowing voice and video calls. Users can send videos, images, text, graphics, etc., from one location to another within seconds.

Similarly, Facebook and other social media platforms like Twitter use the concept of distributed applications to reach millions of people.

Another area where this software is of major use is e-commerce platforms. They are also utilized by desktop applications these days.

Understanding the distributed application architecture is crucial for the development of distributed apps. There are three types of architecture:

• Client-server architecture
  Easy to work with and can be scaled from a two-tier system to multiple tiers.
• Broker architecture
  This involves the use of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture for development.
• Service-oriented architecture
  This architectural framework uses the client-server and broker architecture for development.

Benefits
Internet software has given us a wide selection of advantages that we make use of even today, such as

• Resource sharing
  The application systems share multiple systems, software, and hardware resources. This way, the architecture permits the systems to run continually and also helps reduce system overheads.
• Flexible
  Also, it is important to understand that even though the apps share resources, they work independently. Thus, there is always the flexibility of using the software for a particular job and re-using it per changing needs.
• Resilient or fault-tolerant
  With hundreds and thousands of people dependent on running their daily work through distributed apps, the software should be tough and strong. It means that even if the app is compromised in parts or there is a partial failure of certain functions, the entire software or system will not stop working.
• Scalable
  All modern software systems need to be scalable because the gamut of technology is fast-changing and evolving. Distributed applications are empowered as they can be easily scaled up or down per the client’s customized requirements.
• Up-to-date
  One of the biggest advantages of the software system and the distributed app framework is that they are always updated with the latest versions. Thus, they remain concurrent and safe to use without compromising performance.

Distributed applications or internet software have made our lives easier in so many ways. There’s much to be thankful for to the great minds behind this technology!