The design principles and evolutionary forces that begat the net, in 10 bullet points from Scott Bradner, as reported by Dan Gillmor:

“How did technologists, government officials and a host of other early players turn something with no obvious business model into a system that has become so intrinsic to the new century? A series of decisions proved critical — choices that helped turn data transport into a commodity business and put the power in users’ hands, not in the centralized telecommunications companies’ controlling grasp.”

These designed-in qualities that respond and unpack under environmental pressure are what Matt Webb calls “Secret Properties”. Learning to design them in is the challenge of social software.

» Siliconvalley.com: 10 choices that were critical to the Net’s success [via tomalak]