Fascinating facts about the invention of
Ethernet by Robert Metcalfe in 1973.

TO LEARN MORE

RELATED INFORMATION:
Robert Mertcalfe Bopgraphy   from The Great Idea Finder
History of Computing   from The Great Idea Finder

ON THE BOOKSHELF:
The History of Science and Technology
by Bryan Bunch, Alexander Hellemans / Hardcover: 768 pages / Houghton Mifflin Company; (2004)
Highly browsable yet richly detailed, expertly researched and indexed, The History of Science and Technology is the perfect desktop reference for both the science novice and the technologically advanced reader alike
Packet Communication (Limited Availability)
by Robert Metcalfe / Hardcover: 224 pages / Annabooks/Rtc Books (October 1, 1996)
This groundbreaking Harvard Ph.D. dissertation by Bob Metcalfe led directly to his invention of Ethernet and contributed significantly to the TCP/IP protocol suite developed by Vint Cerf and others.
Internet Collapses and Other Other InfoWorld Punditry (Limited Availability)
by Robert M. Metcalfe / Paperback: 324 pages / Hungry Minds; 1st edition (May 15, 2000)
So deeply cynical you know he must be right, Bob Metcalfe has made a second career out of showing us the inner workings of the computer industry. With material culled from the best of nearly a decade's worth of columns, Internet Collapses and Other InfoWorld Punditry is guaranteed to both aggravate the reader and illuminate the issues, often at the same time.
EthernetThe Definitive Guide
by Charles E. Spurgeon / Paperback: 500 pages / O'Reilly; 1 edition (February 1, 2000)
This survey of the Ethernet is enriched by the authors intimate knowledge of its historical and developmental context. He glances through the original 1970s papers by Metcalfe in which the Ethernet was parameterized as well as the unfortunate misunderstanding of Metcalfe's simple model of throughput, and the subsequent papers that tracked performance characteristics and corrected misunderstanding.

ON THE WEB:
IEEE History Center
Bob Metcalfe is married to author and shepherd, Robyn Shotwell. They, their two children, Julia and Max, and various animals, live on a farm in Maine and in a townhouse in Massachusetts. From the 1996 IEEE Honors Ceremony Brochure
(URL: www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/legacies/metcalfe.html)
Robert M. Metcalfe
Starting with the problem and ending with the solution. From Dec. 15, 1999/Jan. 1 2000 Issue of CIO Magazine by Tracy Mayor.
(URL: www.cio.com/archive/010100/metcalfe.html)
PARC History
A patent memo describing a new networking system uses the term "Ethernet" for the first time. A few months later, an entry about Ethernet in a researcher's lab notebook reads: "It works!"
(URL: www.parc.com/about/history/default.html)
Invention Dimension - Inventor of the Week
Celebrates inventor/innovator role models through outreach activities and annual awards to inspire a new generation of American scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
(URL: web.mit.edu/invent/iow/metcalfe.html)
Ethernet
The Ethernet specification served as the basis for the IEEE 802.3 standard, which specifies the physical and lower software layers.
(URL: www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/Ethernet.html)
Metcalfe's Little Company - 3com
Founded by the inventor of Ethernet technology, Bob Metcalfe, 3Com Corporation was incorporated in 1979. The 3 Cs in the name 3Com are denoted as Computer, Communications and Compatibility. Since delivering the industry's first Ethernet network interface card (NIC) connecting computing devices 30 years ago, 3Com has seen the world embrace its vision of pervasive networking.
(URL: www.3com.com/corpinfo/en_US/fast_facts.html)
Ethernet—A Brief History
Teh Ethernet project attracted early attention and led to the 1980 joint development of the 10-Mbps Ethernet Version 1.0 specification by the three-company consortium: Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Xerox Corporation.
(URL: www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/ethernet.htm#wp1020560)
InfoWorld Writer
Writer of an internationally syndicated weekly column in InfoWorld magazine.
(URL: www.infoworld,com)

WORDS OF WISDOM:
"Ethernet is the on-ramp for the Internet. TCP/IP and Ethernet were both invented in the same year, and they both grew up together." - Robert M. Metcalfe

HOW IT WORKS:
Ethernet
The term Ethernet refers to the family of local-area network (LAN) products covered by the IEEE 802.3 standard that defines what is commonly known as the CSMA/CD protocol. Other technologies and protocols have been touted as likely replacements, but the market has spoken. Ethernet has survived as the major LAN technology (it is currently used for approximately 85 percent of the world's LAN-connected PCs and workstations) because its protocol has the following characteristics: From Cisco Systems, Inc.

DID YOU KNOW?:

• Ethernet is by far the most widely installed LAN, with connected computers numbering over 50 million. 
• Robert Metcalfe shares four patents for Ethernet, the local-area networking technology.
• Ethernet is used for approximately 85 percent of the world's LAN-connected PCs and workstations
• The 3 Cs in the name 3Com are denoted as Computer, Communications and Compatibility.