Horrible Ideas in Computer Technology

mid-afternoon on Monday, the 7th of January 2008 by Chad

What sucks: Every certification program that tests your knowledge of the OSI model.

What’s the OSI model? The theoretical model for how computers talk to each other. This is the Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application layer thing. A nice seven layer cake. Your application such as email client or web browser would talk down the layers from application to physical on your computer, go down the wire in little bursts of electricity, and back up the layers on another computer.

And when you take many Microsoft, Cisco, CISSP, or other computer technology test, you’ll get lots of questions on the OSI model.

Why does this suck?

Because the only network technology in actual use by, well, everyone, is TCP/IP. That’s what your home computer, cell phone, work machine, web server, email system, smart refrigerator, and everything else uses.

And the TCP/IP protocol does not do the OSI model. All your time learning the OSI model is wasted. Because it doesn’t exist in the real world. Gains you nothing but confusion.