Editing Packet switching (section)

===={{anchor|Appletalk}}AppleTalk====
[[AppleTalk]] is a proprietary suite of networking protocols developed by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] in 1985 for [[Apple Macintosh]] computers. It was the primary protocol used by Apple devices through the 1980s and 1990s. AppleTalk included features that allowed [[local area network]]s to be established ''ad hoc'' without the requirement for a centralized router or server. The AppleTalk system automatically assigned addresses, updated the distributed namespace, and configured any required [[Internetworking|inter-network routing]]. It was a [[plug-n-play]] system.<ref name=Oppenheimer>{{cite web|url=http://www.opendoor.com/nethistory/MacWorld2004/index.html|title=A History of Macintosh Networking|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016132614/http://www.opendoor.com/nethistory/MacWorld2004/index.html|archive-date=2006-10-16|first=Alan|last=Oppenheimer|website=MacWorld Expo|date=January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Inside AppleTalk|edition=2|first1=Gursharan|last1=Sidhu|first2=Richard|last2=Andrews|first3=Alan|last3=Oppenheiner|publisher=Addison-Wesley|year=1989|isbn=0-201-55021-0}}</ref>

AppleTalk implementations were also released for the [[IBM PC]] and compatibles, and the [[Apple IIGS]]. AppleTalk support was available in most networked printers, especially [[laser printer]]s, some [[file server]]s and [[router (computing)|router]]s.

The protocol was designed to be simple, autoconfiguring, and not require servers or other specialized services to work. These benefits also created drawbacks, as Appletalk tended not to use bandwidth efficiently. AppleTalk support was terminated in 2009.<ref name="Oppenheimer" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Titus |first=Tim |title=42 Dead Networking Technologies and What Killed Them |url=https://www.pathsolutions.com/blog/42-dead-networking-technologies |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.pathsolutions.com |language=en}}</ref>