'Ethernet at 40': Bob Metcalfe settles score with IBM
April 4, 2013
Ethernet's founder recalls the technology's turbulent youth.
Rik Myslewski from UK's The Regrecently visited with Ethernet's founder, Bob Metcalfe. In a provocative interview, the technology legend was asked "what it was that boosted Ethernet past its early competitors such as Token Ring and ARCnet." In response, Metcalfe held forth on "how Token Ring and 'IBM's arrogance' nearly sank Big Blue," according to Myslewski -- while settling some other scores.
From The Reg's article: "Some of Ethernet's early detractors, [Metcalfe] said, should hang their heads in shame. 'In the dark days,' he reminisced, 'IBM was paying professors to write papers showing that Ethernet didn't really work -- when it did work -- and that Token Ring was better. Those professors should be ashamed of themselves."
Calling the papers that IBM had paid the professors to produce "clearly hatchet jobs," Metcalfe said that "it was really disheartening to watch IBM and these professors stooping to that [expletive]."
