The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods N4N010: Why Was the Colon Chosen as a Delimiter in IPv6?
Jan 23, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Bob Hinden, a networking pioneer and a key player in the development of IPv6, shares his journey from ARPANET to modern networking. He reflects on the challenges of shifting from IPv4 to IPv6, emphasizing its growing necessity due to video and IoT demands. Bob also dives into the historical significance of the colon as a delimiter in IPv6, exploring its advantages over dot-based IPv4 addressing. Personal anecdotes enrich the conversation, providing a fascinating look at the evolution of internet protocols.
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Early Networking at BBN
- Bob Hinden's networking journey began at BBN, builder of the ARPANET.
- He programmed a TCP/IP implementation for a 15-bit machine, the Pluribus TAC.
Early Internet Backbone
- BBN ran the early internet backbone, initially a few networks connected to ARPANET.
- Many hard problems from then remain challenging today due to limitations.
Commercialization's Impact
- IPv4 address exhaustion was predicted, though timing was unclear.
- The internet's commercialization shifted priorities from technology to profit.