Fields of Fiber

(Edit: It has now been pointed out to me that the Internet and the World Wide Web are not the same thing, and that it is the latter which marks its 25th year this month. I'll leave the following text as it is, but for those of us who use the terms interchangeably, it's a good fact to become more aware of!)

The Internet has become so pervasive and essential that it can be easy to forget just how much it has changed the world. This month marks its 25th anniversary – which means that many younger technology professionals can’t even remember a world without email, websites and even social media! A quick Google search tells me that the first social networking site was SixDegrees.com, in 1997 – speaking of which, who remembers when AltaVista was THE Internet search portal?

But enough nostalgia! What about the Internet of today – and tomorrow? Take a look at the articles below for a few hints.

Is it just me, or does the pace of change in network and data center technology seem to be accelerating as we get further into 2016? This week’s links include news of a new 100G switch developed by LinkedIn, a research paper on the infrastructure of the Internet of the future, and a forward-looking discussion of the evolution of IT infrastructure.