According to various sources, and the oldest that we found documented was “Edmund Burke“, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”
And the more we hear about supposed innovations, the more that we find that our industry is continuing to lose the history – and the significance of that history – of the early days of networking.
So, for some edification, for a trip down memory lane, and just for the heck of it, we’ve started a discussion of “You Might Know Your IT Roots If…” you know and can explain various parts of our history.
The first 50 or so questions are already posted, and we’re looking forward to your commenting on the questions and adding questions of your own. So for the next two newsletters we’ll be giving you a sampling of the questions available to discuss at Webtorials.
So, you might know your IT roots if…
You know why a 56 kbps DDS service was 56 kbps rather than 64 kbps.
You know why some countries had 64 kbps data services while the U.S. had only 64 kbps.
You ever heard of “Tip” and “Ring” – and you know what they mean.
You know what “companding” is – and why it is/was used.
You ever heard if Bisync.
You know the fundamental reasoning behind having “sync” characters in Bisync.
You know what the hex code was for the sync characters in Bisync.
You know what a “Person-to-Person” phone call is.
You ever talked to an “operator” at the phone company.
You know what a 3002 circuit is.
You ever used the word “baud.”
Bonus: You know the difference between “baud” and “bits per second.”
You know what a Band 5 WATS line (or any other band) is.
You know why 1/1/84 was important.
You know what an Electronic Tandem Network is.
You know what a Bell Operating Company was.
Bonus: You know how many Bell Operating companies there were.
Super Bonus: You can name the Bell Operating companies.
You know the term “Modified Final Judgment.”
Bonus: You can name the individual most often associated with the MFJ.
You know why a DDS circuit between two buildings in the same office park can be 50 miles long.
You know why a T-1 line’s bit rate is not an even multiple of 64 kbps.
You know why an E-1 line’s bit rate is an even multiple of 64 kbps.
You know the difference between SF and ESF for a T-1 line.
You can define a “stressed polyester data link.” (Thanks to Al Spiegleman.)
You know the occupation of Mr. Stowager, who invented on of the first automated telephone switches.
Let us know your answers and discussions, and we’ll report with some highlights.
