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X.500: The Directory Service That Time Forgot | Chaos Lever
Welcome to another episode of Chaos Lever, where we take a deep dive into the tech abyss and come out slightly more confused than when we started.
This week, we're talking about the OG of directory services: X.500. Before Active Directory, before LDAP, there was this ambitious yet painfully cumbersome attempt to organize networked systems into a structured directory. Was it elegant? No. Was it practical? Also no. But did it lay the groundwork for everything we use today? Absolutely. Along the way, we uncover just how much of modern networking was cobbled together by people who were just making it up as they went.
If you've ever wondered why directories matter, or you just enjoy hearing us ramble about obscure tech history, this episode is for you. And don’t worry—this is only part one. We still have Netscape, Microsoft, and a whole mess of bad decisions to cover. So buckle up, enjoy the ride, and remember: if you’re not questioning your life choices by the end of this episode, we haven’t done our job.
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🔗 **LINKS**
- https://www.identityfusion.com/blog/the-most-complete-history-of-directory-services-you-will-ever-find
- https://www.nexor.com/blog/prehistory-of-ldap
- https://sec.cs.kent.ac.uk/x500book/
- https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/IR/nistir5819.pdf
- https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.500
View all episodes
By Ned Bellavance and Chris Hayner
4.3
44 ratings
Welcome to another episode of Chaos Lever, where we take a deep dive into the tech abyss and come out slightly more confused than when we started.
This week, we're talking about the OG of directory services: X.500. Before Active Directory, before LDAP, there was this ambitious yet painfully cumbersome attempt to organize networked systems into a structured directory. Was it elegant? No. Was it practical? Also no. But did it lay the groundwork for everything we use today? Absolutely. Along the way, we uncover just how much of modern networking was cobbled together by people who were just making it up as they went.
If you've ever wondered why directories matter, or you just enjoy hearing us ramble about obscure tech history, this episode is for you. And don’t worry—this is only part one. We still have Netscape, Microsoft, and a whole mess of bad decisions to cover. So buckle up, enjoy the ride, and remember: if you’re not questioning your life choices by the end of this episode, we haven’t done our job.
---
🔗 **LINKS**
- https://www.identityfusion.com/blog/the-most-complete-history-of-directory-services-you-will-ever-find
- https://www.nexor.com/blog/prehistory-of-ldap
- https://sec.cs.kent.ac.uk/x500book/
- https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/IR/nistir5819.pdf
- https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.500