J. C. R. Licklider - Revision history

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Honoured to finally write this

New page

'''J. C. R. Licklider''' (almost universally known as '''Lick''' to his co-workers) was one of the most influential computer scientists, both in vision, and in actions.

In vision, he was one of the first who foresaw that computers would be used, not just for calculations, but to handle ''information'' in general. (Remember that computers grew out of [[:Category:Early Computing Devices|devices]] whose purpose was purely to aid in mathematical work, and that was still the main task to which they were being put at the time; although they had begun to be used in business is significant ways, starting with [[LEO]].) Drawing on his background in experimental psychology, he then took the next step, in his paper ''Man-Computer Symbiosis'', to visualize a coming pairing of human and machine intelligence - a vision which is only now starting to appear.

As part of that vision of the future, he may have been the very first to foresee that these new computers which he visualized being connected to each other in a world-wide network, exchanging information. His paper on the topic, ''Memorandum for: Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network'', was a key early step on the path to the [[Internet]].

He also took actions which were major achievements in creating that future which he foresaw. During his tenure as a program director at [[Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration|ARPA]], he funded work which led to modern-style [[interactive computing]] (including today's canonical [[graphical user interface]]), such as [[Douglas Engelbart]]'s [[Augmentation Research Center]]. He pushed forward the development of [[time-sharing]], used on essentially all computers that humans use now (even on [[personal computer]]s, which use time-sharing to support multiple [[window]]s) during his time at ARPA. His vision of a [[data network]], and studies he started while he was at ARPA, inspired [[Larry Roberts]], who succeeded him at ARPA, to build the [[ARPANET]] - which eventually led to the Internet.

==Importance==

This quotation from the dustjacket of the excellent biography of him, ''The Dream Machine'', portrays his importance:

: "More than a decade will pass before [[personal computer]]s emerge from the garages of Silicon Valley, and a full thirty years before the Internet explosion of the 1990s. The word ''computer'' still has an ominous tone, conjuring up the image of a huge, intimidating device hidden away in an overlit, air-conditioned basement, relentlessly processing [[punched card|punch cards]] for some large institution: ''them''.
: "Yet, sitting in a non-descript office in McNamara's Pentagon, a quiet .. civilian is already planning the revolution that will change forever the way computers are perceived. Somehow, the occupant of that office .. has seen a future in which computers will empower individuals, instead of forcing them into rigid conformity. He is almost alone in his conviction that computers can become not just superfast calculating machines, but joyful machines: tools that will serve as new media of expression, inspirations to creativity, and gateways to a vast world of online information."

==Further reading==

M. Mitchell Waldrop, ''The Dream Machine: J. C. R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal'', : Viking Penguin, New York, 2001

==External links==

* [https://groups.csail.mit.edu/medg/people/psz/Licklider.html Man-Computer Symbiosis]
* [http://www.chick.net/wizards/memo.html Memorandum for: Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network]
* [http://memex.org/licklider.pdf In Memoriam: J. C. R. Licklider] - contains reprints of ''Man-Computer Symbiosis'' and ''The Computer as a Communication Device''

[[Category: People]]

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 * [http://www.chick.net/wizards/memo.html Memorandum for: Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network]
 * [http://memex.org/licklider.pdf In Memoriam: J. C. R. Licklider] - also contains reprints of ''Man-Computer Symbiosis'' and ''The Computer as a Communication Device''
 * [https://history.computer.org/pioneers/pdfs/L/Licklider.pdf Joseph C. R. Licklider] - brief biography at the IEEE Computer Society
 * [https://walden-family.com/bbn/lick-stories.pdf More on Licklider] - a few tales

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	* [https://walden-family.com/bbn/lick-stories.pdf More on Licklider] - a few tales		* [https://walden-family.com/bbn/lick-stories.pdf More on Licklider] - a few tales

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 * [http://www.chick.net/wizards/memo.html Memorandum for: Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network]
 * [http://memex.org/licklider.pdf In Memoriam: J. C. R. Licklider] - also contains reprints of ''Man-Computer Symbiosis'' and ''The Computer as a Communication Device''
 * [https://walden-family.com/bbn/lick-stories.pdf More on Licklider] - a few tales
 [[Category: People]]