Network World 20th anniversary

Headlines from early issues of Network World, which we launched 20 years ago this month (March, 2006) touch on everything from broadband LANs to MS DOS 3.1 and the Open Systems Interconnect model. The main goal was connectivity. Today everything is connected but the problem has moved up the stack. The new emphasis is on integrating applications and data. Before we get on with that, here’s a look back at 20 years of networking.

— John Dix, editor in chief

Looking back at the network industry’s most important stories, people and products of the last 20 years.

• 20 network-changing products in 20 years
• 20 people who changed the industry
• 20 most important stories of the past 20 years

Well, let’s just say one heck of a lot more.

Al Gore, Bob Metcalfe, Ray Noorda – where would we be without you?

Don’t be fooled by the Cisco fable. This is the guy who started it all.

Net executive salaries rocket upward as stature grows.

Are you better off today? What was your best tech decision? Your worst? Readers weigh in.

Our editors and columnists nominate their favorite failures chronicled — OK, hyped — in

We ask five futurists to describe the technological changes that are coming our way.

Test your recollection of the people, companies, technologies and events that made headlines in the network industry over the past 20 years.

How should today’s IT students prepare for the next 20 years?

A brief timeline of network industry milestones.