Диалоги на английском языке с переводом (уровень Intermediate). № 123. Тема: Летняя стажировка.

Internet radio is a great illustration of why the unregulated Internet stimulates so much innovation and allows an unparalleled range of choice.

Way back in 1994, a man named Rob Glaser had a great idea for transmitting audio signals across the Net. It had always been possible to transfer audio files - some were doing it in the 1980s - but the problems were that (a) the files were large and (b) the entire file had to be transferred before you could start listening to it.

Glaser's Big Idea was to compress the file and dispatch it over the Net in the usual way, but with one magical twist: special player software (available as a free download) would, after a brief pause, start playing the audio even as the rest of the file was downloading, thereby giving the listener the illusion of being able to listen to audio programming live. Thus was born 'streaming media.' Henceforth, audio (and, later, video) signals could be 'streamed' over the Net and listened to by anyone with an Internet connection and a PC. The name Glaser chose for his invention was Real Audio, and it spread like wildfire.

The Real Audio story provides a great illustration of why the unregulated Internet has stimulated so much innovation. Because the network is owned by nobody, and because it is a 'dumb' system designed to do only one thing - deliver data packets from source to destination - anyone with a good idea can harness it. If you can do it with packets, the Internet will do it for you. Glaser had a great idea for sending audio in packets, so all he had to do was write the software and - Bingo! - the network did the rest. If, however, the Net were owned, he would have had to apply for permission and would then have become involved in arguments about what was legitimate and illegitimate use of the system and, well, you can imagine the rest...

One of the reasons Real Audio took off was because it enabled anyone to set up a virtual radio station. People no longer needed a broadcasting licence and a transmitter and all the other expensive apparatus of broadcasting: all that was required was a server, a broadband connection, some server software (available at a modest price from Mr Glaser) and a source of audio material. Internet radio stations spread and today, there are at least 10,000.

(1) Internet radio has been popular since the 1980s. T / F /
(2) Mr Glaser had to apply for a licence to use the Internet network. T / F /
(3) Real Audio enables you to download software over the Net. T / F /
(4) 'Streaming media' was Glaser's 'Big Idea.' T / F /
(5) Real Audio has been very successful. T / F /
(6) The writer of the article believes the Internet should be better regulated. T / F /
(7) The writer of the article is very positive about Internet radio. T / F /