Fifty years later, Ethernet connects virtually every laptop and smartphone to the internet.
“It’s my sixth career,” Metcalfe said in an interview.
He’s writing software to attempt to use computers to simulate geothermal energy plants and other complex real-world systems.
“My attitude is I want to do simulation not to optimize things, but to discover them.”
Later, though, he validated the idea by connecting Facebook’s membership total with its revenue.
“For the first 10 years of Facebook, there’s a perfect fit.”
Now it’s reached 800 gigabits per second – about 272,000 times faster.
Another doubling is in the works, to1.6 terabits per second.
Wired Ethernet ports have faded from laptops and never arrived on phones.
But the technology was adapted to the Wi-Fi standards, bringing new convenience and ubiquity to the internet.
(Metcalfe prefers Wi-Fi’s original name, Wireless Ethernet.)
The top of the list of rivals wasIBM’s Token Ring.
“Token Ring was a 20-year pain in the neck.
Finally, we killed it,” Metcalfe said.
He’s still sore about it, he said in a half-joking tone.
“I’m only human.
I bear a grudge against those bastards,” Metcalfe said.
“It’s been 50 years.
