Tiigrihüpe
Encyclopedia
Tiigrihüpe was a project undertaken by Republic of Estonia to heavily invest in development and expansion of computer and network infrastructure in Estonia, with a particular emphasis on education. The project was first proposed in 1996 by Toomas Hendrik Ilves
, then ambassador
of Estonia to USA and later President of Estonia
, and Jaak Aaviksoo
, then minister of Education. The project was announced by Lennart Meri
, the President of Estonia
, on February 21, 1996. Funds for the foundation of Tiigrihüpe were first allocated in national budget of 1997.
An important primary effect of the project was rollout of Internet access to all Estonian schools, which effectively ended UUCP
usage in Estonia, combined with installing computer lab
s in most schools, and replacing those that already existed with IBM PC
based parks. Due to an economic and technologic lag effected on Estonia by the Soviet occupation, CP/M
based 8-bit
computer systems were not yet a rare sight in Estonian schools in the middle of the 1990s.
After the Cyberattacks on Estonia 2007, Estonia combined network defence with its common military doctrine. Success of the process led to NATO creating the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn
. This project has been nicknamed Tiger's Defence by analogy with Tiigrihüpe.
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...
, then ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of Estonia to USA and later President of Estonia
President of Estonia
The President of the Republic is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia.Estonia is a parliamentary republic, therefore President is mainly a symbolic figure and holds no executive power. The President has to suspend his membership in any political party for his term in office...
, and Jaak Aaviksoo
Jaak Aaviksoo
Jaak Aaviksoo, born 11 January 1954 in Tartu, Estonia is an Estonian politician and current Estonian Minister of Education and Research. He is a member of liberal conservative Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica.- Education and career in science :...
, then minister of Education. The project was announced by Lennart Meri
Lennart Meri
Lennart Georg Meri was a writer, film director and statesman who served as the second President of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Meri was a leader of the Estonian independence movement.-Early life:...
, the President of Estonia
President of Estonia
The President of the Republic is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia.Estonia is a parliamentary republic, therefore President is mainly a symbolic figure and holds no executive power. The President has to suspend his membership in any political party for his term in office...
, on February 21, 1996. Funds for the foundation of Tiigrihüpe were first allocated in national budget of 1997.
An important primary effect of the project was rollout of Internet access to all Estonian schools, which effectively ended UUCP
UUCP
UUCP is an abbreviation for Unix-to-Unix Copy. The term generally refers to a suite of computer programs and protocols allowing remote execution of commands and transfer of files, email and netnews between computers. Specifically, a command named uucp is one of the programs in the suite; it...
usage in Estonia, combined with installing computer lab
Computer lab
A computer lab, also known as a computer suite or computer cluster is typically a room which contains many networked computers for public use...
s in most schools, and replacing those that already existed with IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
based parks. Due to an economic and technologic lag effected on Estonia by the Soviet occupation, CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
based 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
computer systems were not yet a rare sight in Estonian schools in the middle of the 1990s.
After the Cyberattacks on Estonia 2007, Estonia combined network defence with its common military doctrine. Success of the process led to NATO creating the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. This project has been nicknamed Tiger's Defence by analogy with Tiigrihüpe.
See also
- Noored KooliNoored KooliNoored Kooli is a solution to address the critical teacher shortage in Estonia, drawing inspiration from a similar scheme, Teach First, in the United Kingdom...
, a somewhat similar, somewhat related project - EstonicaEstonicaEstonica is a comprehensive encyclopædia on topics relating to Estonia, particularly the culture and History of Estonia.The project has been principally developed by Estonian Institute and Inspiral Network...
, a project on creating Estonian encyclopædia partially funded through Tiigrihüpe - EstWinEstWinEstWin is a project undertaken by Estonia to make 100 Mbit/s wideband internet accessible to every citizen of Estonia by 2015...
, a project to connect all Estonians to internet with 100 mbit/s speed by 2015
Further reading
- Farivar, Cyrus. 2011. The Internet of Elsewhere: the Emergent Effects of a Wired World. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 109-149. Covers the history of the Internet and public WiFi access in Estonia.