I Love Networks

Date: October 8, 2007
Time: at 12:17 am
Posted in: in internet, networking, standards
Comments: Comments (0)

It’s no secret. I’m a geek.

I’m also a networking geek. Basically, that means I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I work with computer networking. I love it. It’s should be no surprise that I’ve chosen Network Administration as the field and career that I am currently pursuing.

Whether it’s TCP/IP, LDAP, DNS, HTTP, packet sharing, ports, firewalls, security, Linux, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, routers, switches, hubs, CAT5e, or anything else network related, I devour it. I love it.

The reason I love networking so much is because, well, it’s just so cool. I mean, come on. Even though it’s old technology, I just got a color LaserJet printer capable of connecting directly to a router. How cool is it that I can’t print to this router … by an IP address? How cool is it that I can do some port forwards on my router and actually print to my printer when I’m in another city and state?

Networking is what powers the internet. It’s what allows us to connect to any device I want and communicate with it. And its full potential has only begun to be realized. The future of networking is in the small things: like our MP3 players connecting wirelessly to our computers to sync music. Or perhaps, our MP3 players listening to music that isn’t even stored on the device but rather on a file server at your home hundreds of miles away. It’s what will allow us to watch TV from anywhere at anytime on any device we want. (Slingbox Pro anyone?).

I’m sorry, but networks are cool. Networks are one of the best examples, as well, for how following standards in the computing industry has gotten us places. Where would we be if TCP/IP wasn’t made a standard communication platform decades ago? The internet wouldn’t exist the way we know it today, that’s for sure.

What do you think of networks? Are they cool or do they scare the heck out of you because they seem so complex? Let me know. Leave a comment or Ask Me.