Talk:Computer network

Article Checklist for "Computer network"

Workgroup category or categories	Computers Workgroup [Categories OK]
Article status	Developing article: beyond a stub, but incomplete
Underlinked article?	No
Basic cleanup done?	Yes
Checklist last edited by	Markus Baumeister 11:00, 18 March 2007 (CDT)

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Just some comments on the intentions of the article:

• It is meant as an overview article forwarding people to the relevant articles. As such it is IMHO already quite long. So major extensions (and maybe also smaller ones) should probably go into an new, linked article.
• I started with the applications and not the protocols because I think it is more natural for non-CS people to learn what is done with networks, what that means for the qualities networks must have to finally stop to understand things when the technicalities are explained.
• Any ideas on figures/pictures to show?

--Markus Baumeister 18:33, 11 March 2007 (CDT)

I added a link to Network topology, and threw some rough diagrams up of a bus network and ring network. There's a lot more to add though... --Eric M Gearhart 03:12, 1 April 2007 (CDT)

I just threw 'Category:CZ Live' on this article... it was created from scratch, right? --Eric M Gearhart 10:29, 2 April 2007 (CDT)

Yes. BTW, I moved the topology section to after the QoS bullet as otherwise the "How 'guaranteed' are the above attributes" of QoS doesn't work anymore. Topology is not influenced by QoS. And then there is the more general problem how to distinguish whether topology is a "feature" (I only thought about measurable things for that) or a "categorization". Markus Baumeister 15:15, 2 April 2007 (CDT)

Ugh so much to do on here it's friggin crazy! I will try to improve this and the topology article in the future --Eric M Gearhart 11:40, 8 April 2007 (CDT)

history of networking

Just as the history of computing needs it own article, I believe that we could use a history of networking article. If I had time, I could probably write it (with help). There is a dramatic story there, starting with how (and why) DARPA funded the original research, then including widespread academic and industry participation, the earliest networks, the early network marketplace, and then its evolution over time into what we have now. This article could then be the springboard off to more specific articles on specific types of networks, or in general to the history of networking.Pat Palmer 03:59, 6 May 2007 (CDT)

There is a stub for internet which would need to fit into the overall framework of articles somehow. The internet is what survived out of all the fierce competition of the earlier networks.Pat Palmer 04:02, 6 May 2007 (CDT)

needs overhaul

There is a lot of good information in this article, but I think the article is targeted too much for people who already know about computer networks. It uses a lot of jargon without first introducing the jargon. I think it's going to need a major overhaul. We don't want to be a textbook, which would happen if we go too deep, but we do need some technical details. I'd like to see the article start up more "gently" for non-geek readers, and then warm up later to satisfy the techno-heads among us.Pat Palmer 22:48, 12 May 2007 (CDT)

It's also really vague despite all the jargon. Did the bulk of this come over from Wikipedia by any chance? I've implemented networks, and taught networks, and I know we can do better by this topic. But it's a hard topic, because it's all in the imagination. Needs diagrams to illustrate simple concepts, etc. I'll try to come back to it another time. Too tired tonight.Pat Palmer 22:51, 12 May 2007 (CDT)

Introductory section - suggest a complete rewrite

The introductory section seems a bit strained to me. For example, the distinction between computer networks and communication networks doesn't fit at all with common usage. It is more accurate to say that at the implementation level, computer networks consist of general purpose computers and specialized devices (such as routers, bridges, etc.) interconnected by physical or wireless media. The emphasis on computer in computer network reflects an emphasis on their functional characteristics, rather than design strategy, and a recognition that like cables and telephone lines, routers are essentially part of the network infrastructure. I'd like to have a go at rewriting this entire section. Greg Woodhouse 13:56, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

Agree completely. In fact, I would probably archive the entire article where I could get at it and start over. However, I do not have time. There are good nuggets, but a lay reader would not be able to see the forest for the trees, as they say. A big missing thing is any explanation, to lay readers, about what a "layer" is. This is crying out for some simple diagrams, and a writing style that assumes no prior knowledge of geeky network terms, takes the time and patience to built the concepts, and then branches off to (sub)articles of increasing detail about particular items. Pat Palmer 14:17, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

BAN vs. PAN

I'm not at all sure whether body area network (BAN) needs to be included in the article, but the example given (a wireless headset) is an example of a personal area network (PAN). Nanotechnology is not my area, but my sense is that the term BAN is meant to apply to networks of devices within the human body. Greg Woodhouse 14:15, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

start whole thing over?

The stuff here is good, but lacks overall coherent structure. There's a whole section that could become an article on network topology. There needs to be integration with OSI 7-layer model and similar articles. There needs to be history of networks that shows how DARPA kicked off the whole thing with ARPAnet, creating the IETF and the RFC process (which foreshadows open source software movement), and leading eventually to the internet and eventually the world wide web. And how about TCP/IP and routing and all that wild stuff? The collection of articles now in existence needs overall coordination. I don't know how we achieve it, given that we are all sort of stabbing at things independently. I guess we have to discuss it (in our spare time, yuk yuk). Pat Palmer 14:22, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

I think we need a fresh start. We'll probably end up saving time in the end by writing a new article rather than trying to improve this one. Where do we archive it? Greg Woodhouse 14:32, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

wireless vs. wired

I recommend separating wireless out completely. It is impossibly to understand wireless networks without first understand basic networking concepts such as packet switching, data link layer, etc. Then, wireless has its own issues related to radio transmission and groupings. This is a formless jumble (of good ideas) at the moment.