Internet as Radical Innovation Internet computing can be viewed as a radical IS innovation as follows: (1) Unique: Internet computing added new elements into the existing computing architectures that significantly departed from existing alternatives. These included a universal thin browser and the idea of hyperlinking included in HTML (Lewin and Volberda 1999; Van Den Bosch et al. 1999). Firm-owned network-based systems with traditional user interfaces were insufficient substitutes for Web interface-based systems across the shared, worldwide infrastructure. (2) Novel: The elements were organized using new architectural principles including open and universal access through URL resources (http) and an n-tier architecture, which separated data, business rules, access, and control flow. Knowledge of traditional systems patterns, languages, platforms, architecture, and designs provided little assistance in learning the prerequisite vast, volatile, and resource-intensive new skills for building Internet systems. This can be contrasted with a move from network to relational data base systems, which did not significantly change architectural principles, the types of applications being built, or how they were viewed or built; or the adoption of UML after SAD as a baseline for designing applications.

No abstract

No abstract