Jim Ellis, dead at 45
He might not be a household name but the world is sadly one honorable
person less this week. Ellis (along with fellow Duke University
graduate Tom Truscott) invented the concept of Usenet back in 1979. A
year later, the program was written and two computers in remote
locations were allowed to share information between each other. By
1993, there were over a thousand Usenet newsgroups, and at the close of
the century, nearly 40,000. Their efforts helped create the spread of
information which became the foundation of what the web has done
graphically, all without ever making a penny. I may have never known
the guy, but without him, you wouldn't be reading brainwashed right now
- I probably wouldn't have known Chris Miller, Greg Clow or Alan Ezust.
On top of that, I probably wouldn't have held on to my beliefs and
experiences from the early days that the exchange of this information
should be free of charge, advertisements and corporate sponsorship.
Thanks Jim, wherever you are, you were a visionary, a pioneer and man
of principles.
- Written by: Staff
- Parent Category: Opinions & Editorials
- Category: Deep Thoughts
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