[cbd1984]

> Why do you think other networks wouldn't have grown global?

Because privately-run networks have to turn a profit by the end of the fiscal year, if not sooner. It's too easy for a company to engage in profit-seeking behavior which harms long-term growth, like demanding fees to interoperate with it. The core Internet protocol suite, OTOH, is completely specified by RFCs which are free to read and implement.

[WalterBright]

FidoNet went global.

[cbd1984]

FidoNet was and is an interesting system, but it relies on a system which is a public utility and/or publicly subsidized in most of the world: the telephone network. Dial-up networks like FidoNet only work if there's enough phone service to bother with.