Essential Guide to Computing: The Story of Information Technology, The

Conclusion

The concept of pervasive computing relies on the idea that all computers will be connected seamlessly in a single global network. We're quite some distance from achieving that dream, but things are changing fast. Developments are proceeding smoothly in the LAN and campus areas. LANs are fast evolving to high speed, switched-systems that can handle a huge amount of data. Costs are lowered by standardization; there are a limited number of choices both for cabling (Category 5 UTP or fiber) and for the core technology (Fast Ethernet or Token Ring). The campus networks that connect LANs within large organizations are also relying on switches; the cabling approaches are the same as for the LAN, while the underlying technologies are FDDI, ...