NYC Ethernet an Metro Ethernet HistoryNYC Ethernet providers offer businesses in the city the ability to connect their businesses with satellite offices, manufacturing plants, distribution warehouses, and the rest of the world with ease; however, just like all services that today’s business community has come accustomed to, the evolution of Ethernet was a slow process with many contributors and a few notable visionaries.
Ethernet at its Infancy
To most people, the US Patent number 4,063,220 has very little meaning; however, to four men: Robert Metcalfe, David Boggs, Chuck Thacker, and Butler Lampson that patent has special meaning. In 1975 these men were listed as the inventors of “Ethernet.” The patent was filed on their behalf by Xerox PARC and defined as a “standard for connecting computers over short distances.” PARC is an acronym for Palo Alto Research Center Inc. which was founded in 1970 as a subsidiary of Xerox and helped develop some well-known technological breakthroughs in laser printing, GUI – Graphical User Interface, VLSI – Very Large Scale Integration, WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get Editor, and as previously mentioned; Ethernet.
If at First You Don’t Succeed
Robert Metcalfe can be considered one of the visionaries. Metcalfe acknowledges that his studies of the ALOHAnet at the University of Hawaii was inspiration for his contribution in the invention of Ethernet. As evidence that genius isn’t always recognized, Metcalfe wound up working with MIT on a project (Project MAC-that led to significant progress in the areas of operating systems, theory of computation, and artificial intelligence) after Harvard refused to let him lead the effort to connect the university to the ARPAnet while he was pursuing his doctorate in computer science at, of all places, Harvard.
As the story goes, Metcalfe was fascinated with ARPAnet while developing hardware elements that would eventually link the minicomputers at MIT to the ARPAnet. Metcalfe felt drawn to understand as much as he could about the new technology and made it the topic of his doctoral dissertation. Although he ultimately helped to invent Ethernet, his first effort was subpar according to Harvard University, and he received a flunking grade.
Metcalfe went to work at Xerox PARC, and while there, read information on a groundbreaking technological advancement known as a “wireless data network” that was being developed at the University of Hawaii under the ALOHAnet project. His interests in ALOHAnet and his determination ultimately helped him develop the model for Ethernet. The dates May 22nd, 1973 and November 11th, 1973 are recognized as the day Ethernet was “born” and diagrammed and the day it actually functioned; respectively.
One Out of Four Ain’t Bad
Although Metcalfe was given a award by President George W. Bush in 2003 for his contribution to the invention on Ethernet, he is also widely recognized for making a number of predictions that failed to come to fruition. Metcalfe incorrectly predicted a “catastrophic collapse” of the internet and wireless networking; both in the mid 1990’s. He also incorrectly predicted the annihilation of the LINUX open source movement; for which he is on record of being an outspoken critic.
Converged Network Services Group – CNSG provides a near unlimited number of telecommunications services to both international and national cities including NYC Ethernet.
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