Whatever Happened to Internet Time?
Remember the concept of Internet time? Instead of taking three years for a major product release or update, you had to launch your new offering right away -- that's how fast tech was changing.
Most of the stuff launched that fast kind of stunk or was overly simplistic -- sort of like the 2011 Indianapolis Colts offense.
Maybe that's why I'm not terribly surprised that IPv6 will get its formal worldwide launch this summer. Not surprised, but I admit I'm a bit puzzled. My memory (and grammar) ain't great, but I somehow recall interviewing Internet maven Vint Cerf about why we should all take IPv6 seriously. I'm trying to remember when that was. Could it have been Oct 1999, over a dozen years ago? Yup.
They always say Cerf was ahead of his time, but nearly 13 years?
Of course this isn't the first release of IPv6. The standard, designed to dramatically increase the number of 'Net addresses, has been in use for some time. The worldwide launch is all about its ubiquity. This means major sites such as Facebook will fully support the address scheme. Who are the two heavyweights leading this long-awaited charge? Try Microsoft and Google. At least they agree on something.
Do you care about IPv6? If so, address your whys and why nots to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/23/2012 at 1:19 PM