1973
Ethernet invented at Xerox PARC
Robert Metcalfe and colleagues developed EthernetA wired local networking standard — the dominant way offices and homes connect devices to a LAN. at Xerox PARC in 1973 — a packet switchingBreaking data into small packets that travel independently across a network — the foundation of internet routing. LANLocal area network — a network covering a building or campus, as opposed to wide-area links. for connecting Alto workstations.
What it was for
ethernetA wired local networking standard — the dominant way offices and homes connect devices to a LAN.'s CSMA/CDCompact disc — an optical storage format for digital audio and data. design let many machines share a coax cable cheaply — a pattern DEC, Intel, and Xerox standardized in 1980 and that still underlies wired office and datacenter networking today (now switched, not shared bus).
Why it's here
EthernetA wired local networking standard — the dominant way offices and homes connect devices to a LAN. became the dominant LANLocal area network — a network covering a building or campus, as opposed to wide-area links. technology for four decades.
Why it mattered
It made networking PCPersonal computer — a computer designed for individual use, especially desktop or laptop machines.s and workstations affordable before Wi-Fi existed.
What it solved
Labs needed to link computers, printers, and file servers without point-to-point serial links.
Media
ImageEthernetWikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Xerox Alto operational1973
- Robert Metcalfe states Metcalfe's Law1980
- First ARPANET host-to-host messageOctober 29, 1969