IFB102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Wide Area Network, George Gilder, Telecommunications Network
Document Summary
Introduction: wifi is everywhere, at home we have routers that act as a wireless and ethernet access point. Why is networking important: networking improves the ability to access information. A similar effect was done with printing press and radio when they were first invented. Networking has transformed the way we access and share information. Internet in some countries is considered a basic human right similar to water and electricity. In modern society internet is required to do almost anything e. g. access bank account, acquire information on human services/resources. In isolation, computers have limited use; networked there are huge possibilities. More than the sum of the parts: metcalfe"s law: states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system (n^2). George gilder in 1993, and attributed to robert metcalfe in regard to ethernet. His law was originally presented in terms of compatibly communicating devices, not users.
