The Hitchhiker's Guide to Computer Networks
Introduction One of the few reliable things that didn't crumble under the pressure of quarantining and working from home is our digital infrastructure. It remains largely unaffected as we conduct most of our business activities online. This is no accident. It is the result of 40+ years of continuous research to make that infrastructure faster, cheaper, and more reliable. My goal writing this series is to shed some light on the different hidden aspects of our digital infrastructure. In doing so, I hope that I will help the reader get a behind the scene's view of what we take for granted when we are watching HD videos, buying our groceries online, and chatting online with people on the other side of the planet. A typical Internet user pays for their Internet and online services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, iCloud) with some expectations of the quality of experience they will receive. Users also expect that the way they interact with the digital world will keep improving. Th