Token Ring: The networking standard that lost to Ethernet
What was a Token Ring network?
Token Ring, IBM's networking technology announced in 1985, competed with Ethernet in the 1980s and 1990s but ultimately lost. Ethernet won because it was cheaper and scaled to higher speeds first, reaching 100 megabits and then gigabit while Token Ring stalled at 16 megabits. Token Ring was robust and collision-free, but its cost and inability to scale doomed it. Today, distinguishing Token Ring from Ethernet cards can be tricky, as both used similar connectors and cabling.
The main reason Ethernet won the war was because it was cheaper. Once you bought everything you needed, Ethernet cost a third as much.