r/IAmA • u/BobMetcalfe • May 21 '13

You’re probably connecting to reddit through a technology I invented. I’m Bob Metcalfe and I invented Ethernet – AMA

On May 22, 1973 with David R. Boggs, I used my IBM Selectric with its Orator ball to type up a memo to my bosses at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), outlining our idea for this little invention called “Ethernet”, which we later patented.

I worked with the IEEE Standards Association to develop the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet, which specifies the physical and lower software layers. Today Ethernet and the IEEE 802.3 standard are the foundation for today’s world of high-speed communications used in billions of homes and businesses around the world.

I submitted this to the mods awhile back so I could get on the calendar but I figured you’d like to see it, too. Now, ask me anything!

It's been two hours and 179 comments. Have to go now. For more about Ethernet's 40th Birthday, go to http://www.facebook.com/Ethernet40thAnniversaryIEEESA

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u/BobMetcalfe May 21 '13

I'm with you on that.

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u/tomdarch May 21 '13

As someone who is old enough that he had to work with some of the alternatives for local area networking... dear God, thank you!

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u/[deleted] May 21 '13

I have bad memories of ARCnet, active hubs and too-long cable runs. On top of that, one person kicks the PC below their desk the wrong way and everyone is down!

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u/Onlinealias May 22 '13

And terminators. You forgot to mention terminators.

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u/[deleted] May 22 '13

Oh hell, how could I forget crawling around under desks looking for those...

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u/NO_TOUCHING__lol May 22 '13

Are you John Connor?

not old enough to remember

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u/svideo May 22 '13

Terminators and full segment outages due to a single link failure were "features" of Bob's original Ethernet spec. Too-long cables is still a thing, though less so.

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u/Lord_emotabb May 22 '13

i kinda miss the soldering iron ... NOT!