Robert William Taylor | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Bob_Taylor_in_2008.jpg) Robert William Taylor in 2008 | |
| Born | February 10, 1932 |
| Died | April 13, 2017 (aged 85) Woodside, California, United States |
| Resting place | America |
| Alma mater | Southern Methodist University University of Texas |
| Known for | Internet pioneer Computer networking & Communication systems Modern personal computing |
| Children | Derek Taylor Erik Taylor Kurt Taylor |
| Awards | ACM Software Systems Award (1984) ACM Fellow (1994) National Medal of Technology and Innovation (1999) Charles Stark Draper Prize (2004) Computer History Museum Fellow (2013) [1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | ARPA Xerox PARC Digital Equipment Corporation |
Robert William Taylor (February 10, 1932 – April 13, 2017), known as Bob Taylor, was an American Internet pioneer, who led teams that made major contributions to the personal computer, and other related technologies. He was director of ARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office from 1965 through 1969, founder and later manager of Xerox PARC's Computer Science Laboratory from 1970 through 1983, and founder and manager of Digital Equipment Corporation's Systems Research Center until 1996.[2]
Uniquely, Taylor had no formal academic training or research experience in computer science; Severo Ornstein likened Taylor to a "concert pianist without fingers", a perception reaffirmed by historian Leslie Berlin: "Taylor could hear a faint melody in the distance, but he could not play it himself. He knew whether to move up or down the scale to approximate the sound, he could recognize when a note was wrong, but he needed someone else to make the music."[3]
His awards include the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the Draper Prize.[4] Taylor was known for his high-level vision: "The Internet is not about technology; it's about communication. The Internet connects people who have shared interests, ideas and needs, regardless of geography."[4]
- ^ "Hall of Fellows – Computer History Museum". Archived from the original on 2013-05-15.
- ^ John Naughton (October 5, 2000). A Brief History of the Future: Origins of the Internet. Phoenix. ISBN 978-0-7538-1093-4.
- ^ Berlin, Leslie (2017-11-07). Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781451651508.
- ^ a b Marion Softky (October 11, 2000). "Building the Internet: Bob Taylor won the National Medal of Technology "For visionary leadership in the development of modern computing technology"". The California Almanac. Retrieved March 30, 2011.