GoKawiilEthernet specification turns 45, tracing roots to 1980 DIX standard
On this date in 1980, DEC, Intel, and Xerox jointly published version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification, known as the DIX standard, built on experimental work done earlier at Xerox PARC. The open specification let any hardware vendor implement Ethernet, starting with coaxial cabling at 10 Mbps, and it has since evolved through BNC connectors, RJ45 and twisted-pair cabling, and speeds now reaching 800 Gbps+ in modern data centers.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The decision to make Ethernet an open, vendor-neutral standard likely helped it beat out proprietary networking schemes of the era, since manufacturers no longer had to worry about incompatible adapters. This openness may explain why wired Ethernet still underpins most local networks and data centers today, even as wireless standards like Wi-Fi 7 advance, given its continued edge in speed, latency and stability.
- DEC, Intel, and Xerox published Ethernet v1.0, the 'DIX' standard, on this day in 1980.
- Ethernet evolved from 10 Mbps coaxial cable to modern data-center links exceeding 800 Gbps.
- Its open licensing model encouraged broad industry adoption over proprietary alternatives.
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Published there as: “The Ethernet spec was first drafted on this day in 1980”
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