Iphayona le-Ethernet u-Bob Metcalfe uqoke owawina i-2022 Turing Award

Imiphakathi ye-high-tech and venture capital (VC) iyaqhubeka nokukhiqiza abaholi abanothando, kodwa bambalwa abangaqhudelana nabo Bob Metcalfeco-inventor of Ethernet at I-Xerox Parc kanye nomsunguli wephayona lezokuxhumana lendawo i-3Com ngeminyaka yawo-1970.

Nakuba kusewubuchwepheshe obuthuthukisiwe, i-Ethernet isisithwe manje yi-inthanethi ehlobene eduze nobuchwepheshe be-Ethercoin obungahlobene ngokuphelele. Kodwa kwavela umhlaba omusha wokuxhumana.

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Imizamo yomoya ka-Metcalfe yokuqhubekisela phambili izinto ezintsha zobuchwepheshe obuphezulu kanye ne-VC isathela izithelo. Namuhla, i-Association for Computing Machinery (I-ACM) iqanjwe i-Metcalfe njengomamukeli we-ACM AM Turing Award ka-2022 yokusungulwa, ukumiswa kanye nokuhweba kwe-Ethernet.

UMetcalfe wahamba engenalutho kusukela ezinsukwini zakhe zebanga lesikole, lapho etshela uthisha ukuthi uzoya eMIT – akwenza – ezinsukwini zakhe e-Xerox Parc, lapho aqamba khona i-Ethernet ngemuva kwento ecatshangwayo uNewton ayisebenzisa ukuchaza indlela yokudlulisela. ukusabalalisa amandla kazibuthe kagesi. UMetcalfe ukhombise ulaka nekhono ezimpini ze-LAN eziqhathanise i-3Com nezithandwa ze-IBM, Wang, Ungermann-Bass, Interlan nabanye abaningi.

UMetcalf ulandele isikhathi sakhe ku-3Com ngokugabadela ekushicilelweni – ubeyi-CEO, umshicileli kanye nomcwaningi wezindaba. I-InfoWorld Umagazini – kanye nesakhiwo somphakathi se-VC eSilicon Valley, eBoston nase-Austin. Kulezi zinsuku unguprofesa osekhulile e-University of Texas e-Austin futhi ungumcwaningi we-MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (I-CSAIL).

Ukhulume ne-VentureBeat ngaphambi nje kokwamukela i-Turing Award ngokusemthethweni. (Inothi lomhleli: Le nhlolokhono ihlelelwe ubude nokucaca.)

I-VentureBeat: Umsebenzi wakho noDavid Boggs on I-Ethernet ithathe amasu ku-ALOHANet kaNorm Abramson, yenza izithuthukisi ezithile zokusebenza futhi yahlangabezana nokungabaza okuthile lapho I-Xerox Parc. Kodwa empeleni manje kubukeka njengendaba yakudala yokuthi izinto zibonakala zisobala kanjani kamuva. Abantu babuza: ‘Kungani ngingakwazi ukuxhuma ama-computer amabili ekamelweni elilodwa, uma ngikwazi ukuwaxhuma ezindaweni ezikude?’

I-Metcalfe: Ngokusobala, ubunzima bokuxhuma amakhompyutha amabili ekamelweni elilodwa kwakuyithuba. Kodwa isimbangi sokuqala senethiwekhi yethu bekuyi-‘SneakerNet’. Abantu bathi ‘Kungani kufanele ngisebenzise u-$1,000?’ Futhi lokho ngokuvamile kwakuyizindleko zayo zokuqala. Bangase bathi ‘Ngimane ngiphathe i-diskette ephrinta bese ngiyiphrinta.’ Ngakho-ke, bekufanele silwe ne-SneakerNet isikhashana. Ekugcineni umncintiswano ushintshele kwezinye izindlela zokuxhumana.

I-Ethernet yavela ngo-1973 lapho i-Xerox Parc inquma ukwenza lokho – ngokuphikisana – ikhompuyutha yomuntu siqu yesimanje. Abantu babecabanga ukuthi kuyaxaka. Bathi: ‘Uzobeka ikhompuyutha kuwo wonke amadeski – kungani ungenza into ewubulima kangaka?’ Ngenhlanhla, ngathola umsebenzi wokubaxhumanisa ndawonye. Besakha iphrinta yelaser ehamba ngekhasi ngomzuzwana, amachashazi angu-500 iyintshi ngayinye, okusho ukuthi idinga umkhawulokudonsa omningi. Ngakho-ke, ukuze sigcine iphrinta imatasa, besidinga inethiwekhi esheshayo. Futhi i-Ethernet yokuqala yayishesha izikhathi ezingu-10,000 kunaleyo ethathe indawo yayo, okwakungamanethiwekhi okugcina afana ne-RS-232. Ngakho-ke, singagcina iphrinta imatasa.

VB: Uma ubheka emuva, i-Ethernet ibonakala iyindaba lapho amazinga enethiwekhi eqa izindinganiso zobunikazi.

I-Metcalfe: IBM [Token-Ring] kanye neGeneral Motors [MAP Token bus] kanye Wang [WangNet] futhi abanye bonke banquma ukuthi bafuna ukubusa ukuxhumana nobuchwepheshe babo. Saba nempi enkulu eyadonsa cishe iminyaka engu-20. Futhi sasebenzisa i- IEEE ukwenza ubuchwepheshe bethu bufane. Futhi ezintathu zazo zithola izinga: i-Ethernet, i-IBM Token Ring kanye nebhasi ye-Token. Kepha i-Ethernet yanqoba leyo mpi. Futhi inkampani yami yachuma ngenxa yezindinganiso.

Kukhona okuxakayo ukuthi i-IBM kanye noWang nabanye bebeqhudelana. Lokho kwakusho ukuthi abenzi be-PC babemanqikanqika ukukhetha phakathi kwabo. Ngakho-ke, esikhundleni sokubeka inethiwekhi ebhodini le-motherboard, okufanele ngabe bakwenze kusenesikhathi, abazange bakwenze. Futhi lokho kushiye kuvule ithuba lokuthi inkampani yami ithengise amakhadi esixhumi senethiwekhi azoxhuma kulezo zikhala futhi abanike amandla okuxhumana. Ngokushesha sase sithumela lawo makhadi ngezigidi. Intengo yehla nomthamo wenyuka. Futhi inkampani yethu yakhula yaba izigidigidi. Sabe sesithuthuka thina kanye nemboni. Kwalandela i-TCP/IP, futhi ukuhlukaniswa kwephrothokholi kwanyamalala. Sonke samukela i-TCP/IP, futhi sazitholela ku-inthanethi.

VB: Okuqanjwe nguGeorge Gilder ‘Umthetho we-Metcalfe’ ibe nethonya elikhulu. Ibhekane nenani lenethiwekhi elikhula njengoba izinombolo zedivayisi zikhula. Manje, imiphumela enjalo yenethiwekhi ingaphansi kokuhlolwa njengoba inkundla yezokuxhumana ikhula. Uwubheka kanjani umthelela wekhompuyutha nokuxhumana emiphakathini?

I-Metcalfe: Ngicabanga ukuthi amanethiwekhi alethwe ngokweqile. Eminyakeni engu-50 emfushane sesifinyelele izingxenye ezintathu kwezine zohlanga lwesintu futhi sikwenza lokho ngokwanda okushesha njalo – kangangokuthi ukuxhumana kusithwalise kanzima. Asazi ukuthi senzeni ngakho.

Kuthuthukiswe ama-pathologies amaningi – ungakhumbula ukuthi i-pathology yokuqala ye-Intanethi kwakuyizithombe zobulili ezingcolile. Futhi bekumele badlulise isenzo seCongress – Umthetho Wokuhlonishwa Kwezokuxhumana – ukubhekana nakho. Kwabe sekufika ukukhangisa, okwathi okwesikhashana kwabhekwa njengesifo. Kodwa sabe sesibona ukuthi izoxhasa yonke i-inthanethi ngezimali. Kwabe sekufika ugaxekile, obekuyi-pathology, futhi sesiphathe kakhulu ogaxekile – cishe. Bese, sinezindaba ezingamanga.

Umbono wami uthi sinochungechunge lwama-pathologies esiwaphathayo uma eqhamuka. Kodwa imbangela yangempela yezinkinga zethu ukuthi asikazi ngempela ukuthi singaphatha kanjani ukuxhumana okwamanje.