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Putting The Fiber Glut In Historical Perspective

Posted by timothy on from the pay-now-or-pay-later dept.

securitas writes: "This editorial over at the New York Times makes a good case for the optical network buildout being an essential infrastructure project like the railroads, telegraph lines and interstate highways were of previous generations. These projects stimulated new inventions and applications and helped build a great nation. So if you lost a ton on JDS Uniphase, Ciena, Corning, Nortel and the rest, rest easy that you have helped build the future and inspire innovation."

1 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Indeed, an interesting parallel... by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 4, Interesting
    When I got interested by railroads, and got about reading about their histories and hanging around with railroaders, I realized that the railroads had solved more than 100 years ago the very same networking problems faced by computers during the last 30 years.


    When you have to operate a business (running trains) over a vast territory, you have to have reliable, foolproof and positive communication to synchronize the operations of all those trains.


    Proper communications were essential to avoid those dreaded "cornfield meets" (head-on collisions).


    Railroad signalling also has been a cutting-edge environment too; signal interlocking plants (where complex railroad junctions are controlled) have been from the start crude mechanical computers, where conflicting train routes are avoided by mechanical (then electric and now computerized - but with extremely wierd and exotic kinds of technologies) computers, all to boost safety.


    Actually, 100 years ago, railroads were the high-tech industry, and it is striking to see the parallels between the railroads 100 years ago, and the computer/internet scene today...