Have you ever thanked Bob Metcalfe and the late David Boggs for your internet connection? The two scientists came up with something called Ethernet while working at Xerox PARC, a famous research centre. Yesterday, Bob Metcalfe got an award for his invention that is almost like a Nobel Prize in computing. It was given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Bob Metcalfe has had a very successful career. Thanks to Google’s funding, there is now a $1 million prize for his work. Before this he was part of Xerox PARC and then founded 3com, which made it possible for people to use Ethernet in their homes and everyday lives. Later, he became a professor emeritus at the University of Texas – which means he’s retired with an honorific title. Bob wants us all to say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who worked on making Ethernet possible over the past 50 years as it celebrates its 50th anniversary on May 22, 2023.
Robert Metcalfe is famous for creating the technology of Ethernet cables, but he originally planned to make a different type of connection called Wi-Fi. He wanted Wi-Fi to be wire free, however, it wasn’t possible because the speed and cost would have been too much.
