Without Ethernet our networked world would cease to exist

That's a bit of a stretch. I was vigorously supporting Ethernet when many people were claiming that Token Ring or ATM was the way to go. But without Ethernet, we'd just be using a different (perhaps less effective) layer 2 protocol and the Internet (TCP/IP) would carry on just the same.

Ethernet's become merely another brand these days. The protocols that deliver 10G (let alone 10T) bear only a passing resemblance to what we used to run over banana cable. Can I have a 'long grey beard' icon, please?