Right, I wasn't meaning to imply what you said was incorrect, just giving a little more detail on what was a murky and complicated process. Define "the Internet"! :-) If one describes it as 'the large collection of interoperating networks speaking TCP/IP', then that statement _is_ correct! If one instead uses a broader definition, something like 'computer networks in general' (pulling in things like Usenet), then, no, it's not correct. I'm _not_ trying to say that there is only one, correct, definition of 'the Internet' - but various statements about 'the Internet' may or may not be accurate, depending on which definition is used. Noel