The Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in California has been responsible for the creation of numerous groundbreaking computer technologies including the first personal computer with a graphical user interface, known as the Alto, and the first laser printer. One of PARC’s most significant inventions is Ethernet, a networking technology that allows for high-speed data transmission over coaxial cables. Ethernet has become the standard wired local area network used in businesses and homes worldwide. It was recently honored as an IEEE Milestone, fifty years after its inception. The development of Ethernet began in 1973, with researchers Charles P. Thacker and Robert M. Metcalfe designing a network that enabled communication between Altos, printers, and other devices. Inspired by the ALOHAnet at the University of Hawai’i, the team decided to use coaxial cables for faster transmission and easier integration into existing systems. The first version of Ethernet was capable of sending data at up to 2.94 megabits per second and featured a 500-meter cable with transceiver nodes attached using vampire taps. Metcalfe and his colleague David Boggs also created the first high-speed network interface card (NIC) to facilitate communication between devices. Ethernet was later refined and released commercially in
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ethernet-ieee-milestone