Introduced in 1973, Ethernet is the best way to wire your computer to a network. But it was very expensive, costing thousands of dollars for an interface board. Intel's 82586 chip (1982) simplified the interface, dropping network prices to "just" $1000. Let's look inside... 1/14
ALT A die photo of the Intel 82586 chip. The metal layer is visible, forming a complex pattern on top of the chip.