This oral history details American engineer Rich Seifert’s pivotal role in developing and standardizing commercial Ethernet. Drawing on his early background in ham radio and electromagnetic compatibility, Seifert joined Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where he became the company’s engineering representative in the DEC-Intel-Xerox (DIX) consortium. Within this group, he architected Ethernet’s physical layer.
His contributions included specifying and co-designing the 10 Mbps Ethernet transceiver, the mechanical "vampire tap" connector, and the heavily shielded, iconic yellow (and also orange) 50-ohm coaxial cable built to withstand severe industrial interference. The interview also explores the transition from the DIX [DEC, Intel, Xerox] specification to the open IEEE 802.3 standard. Seifert highlights the consortium’s strategic decision to license Ethernet patents for a nominal fee via vendor codes, a move that cemented its ubiquitous industry dominance. Finally, he outlines his later career founding networking startups and consulting for major technology firms.
Interviewed by Dag Spicer on 2023-07-28
© Computer History Museum
Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information – http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/300000335
Catalog number: 300000336
Acquisition number: 2026.0178
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