There are other internets. Whenever you link two pre-existing networks, the resulting capacity for access is referred to as an "internet." Grammatically, I could easily say that if I can access the servers on two home networks (without the IP connection), I can perform an "internet search" that would not be an "Internet search." -Rick
Grammatically speaking, it should be capitalised as long as there is the possibility of other internets. In other words, it is THE Internet, but other internets are also possible. This is done to clarify which internet is being referred to. Rather like the Western (cultural) world, as opposed to western (geographic) places. Nifty and often overlooked grammatical device.
However, I'm not aware of any other internets so it seems rather redundant - though the possibility is always there, I suppose ... I always capitalise, just in case :-)
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Hughie
-- ----------------------------- J. Richard Stevens, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Journalism Southern Methodist University P.O. Box 750113 Dallas, TX 75275 stevensr@smu.edu http://jrichardstevens.com "A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension." --Oliver Wendell Holmes "Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy." -Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. United States 277 U.S. 438, 485 (1928). "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." --Aristotle "The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one's own home." - Theodor Adorno