Robert Metcalfe

Robert Metcalfe is an American engineer and entrepreneur who co-invented Ethernet, founded 3Com, and formulated Metcalfe’s law.

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David Boggs: David Boggs was an American engineer who co-invented Ethernet with Robert Metcalfe. Boggs collaborated with Metcalfe at Xerox PARC to build and demonstrate Ethernet.
Ethernet: Ethernet is a family of wired networking technologies for connecting devices in local area networks. Metcalfe co-invented this technology at Xerox PARC.
ALOHA network: The ALOHA network was a pioneering radio data network developed at the University of Hawaii in the 1970s. Its shared-medium design inspired aspects of Ethernet’s access method.
3Com: 3Com was a networking technology company founded by Robert Metcalfe in 1979. Metcalfe founded the company to commercialize Ethernet products.
Network effect: A network effect occurs when a product or service becomes more valuable as more people use it. Metcalfe’s law is a prominent proposed measure of network effects.
Bob Taylor: Bob Taylor was an American computer scientist and research director who helped establish influential computer research groups. Taylor led the Xerox PARC laboratory where Metcalfe developed Ethernet.
Metcalfe’s law: Metcalfe’s law estimates a network’s value as proportional to the square of its connected users. Metcalfe formulated this influential claim about the value of communication networks.
Ethernet at Xerox PARC: Ethernet at Xerox PARC was an early local network developed to connect computers and peripherals. Metcalfe and Boggs built the first Ethernet system in this research setting.
EtherLink: EtherLink was 3Com’s Ethernet adapter product for connecting personal computers to local networks. It helped bring Ethernet connectivity to the growing personal-computer market.
Internet: The Internet is a global system of interconnected networks that exchange data using shared protocols. Ethernet became a common technology for connecting devices to the Internet.