kristopolous9 hours ago
I was trying to get a hold of him for years. People who knew him kept saying they'd get me in touch, never did.
His name pops up a lot during the 60s and 70s as an author on numerous articles about networks, often regarding many competing, now defunct alternative networks to the Internet.
Examples of scans I personally made: https://siliconfolklore.com/internet-history/farber-datamati... and https://siliconfolklore.com/internet-history/farber-datamati...
He's one of those people where you go through archival industry journals and are like "oh look there he is again"
For instance, SNOBOL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNOBOL
quadhome8 hours ago
IP-Asia met every week via Zoom. Several other people whose names appear in the same literature frequented it too. Pop in tonight for the final session?
kristopolous29 minutes ago
I had no idea. I can't find out where this is. Can you send me a link
nunobrito9 hours ago
Met him without knowing who this person was when proposing a decentralized anti-virus platform, he cared and helped a lot. Besides teaching, Dave never stopped learning. Quite a good role model for everyone here.
tosh10 hours ago
throw0101c7 hours ago
> After moving to the University of Delaware, Farber helped conceive and organize the National Science Foundation’s Computer Science Network (CSNet), which made then-experimental networking technology available to academic computer scientists and was instrumental in spreading the technology globally, to both industry and academia. Farber also helped plan and develop NSFNET and National Research & Education Network (NREN), efforts that led to the development of the current commercial Internet. Along with Bob Kahn, he conceived the pioneering Gigabit Testbed activity of the NSF.
cf100clunk6 hours ago
''In 2018, at the age of 83, Dave moved to Japan to become Distinguished Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching, and taught his final class on January 22, 2026.
At CCRC, one of his most enjoyable activities was co-hosting the IP-Asia online gathering, which has met every Monday for more than five years and has addressed many aspects of the impact of technology on civilization.''
anjel5 hours ago
zamadatixan hour ago
Thanks for this, it gave me many good chuckles. I feel like I see these kinds of lists less often lately. Does anyone know of some more recent good ones?
fsckboyan hour ago
these are basically like the things Yogi Berra was famous for saying, like "Nobody goes there any more, it's always too crowded."
and apropos this moment:
You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise, they won't come to yours. -- Yogi Berra
cyanbane7 hours ago
Good to see a lot of these archived: https://seclists.org/interesting-people/
What a life lived.
ricktdotorg8 hours ago
Dave's Interesting People email list was a TRUE highlight of the early Internet.
jordanscales6 hours ago
Was fortunate enough to attend a few guest lectures from him at Stevens when I got my minor degree in science and technology studies. He was so sharp that I was blown away that he was (at the time) 80 years old.
I wonder what his life in Tokyo was like! Did he ever write about it?
reader92745 hours ago
"at the too-young age of 91"
Ok I chuckled
unsupp0rted3 hours ago
Someday soon this won't be humor. I pray for that day.
ryan_n2 hours ago
“Someday soon”
Based on what exactly makes you think this?
wizzwizz42 hours ago
Humans have been around for thousands of years. Look at what we've accomplished in the last hundred. We have artificial heart pumps now. In the next two hundred years, if cancer research doesn't slow down too much and if we find some quick fixes for neurodegeneration, I think it's entirely plausible that 90 will become the new 60. I doubt I'll be around for it, and we might never hit the "life extension outpaces people reaching their life expectancy" medical immortality Holy Grail; but in the abstract, there is hope.
Judging by https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46923612 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46901862, I expect unsupp0rted's logic is closer to "we'll build superintelligent AI servants some time next week, and that will usher in a new golden age"; but that doesn't make the claim invalid.
gpvos7 hours ago
I think a black bar is in order.
sejje7 hours ago
Amen.
Animats27 minutes ago
Another one of the greats gone.
Insanity8 hours ago
RIP.
Original email mentions “too young age of 91”, but IMO that’s a beautiful age to reach, especially for a life seemingly well lived!
compsciphd10 hours ago
last email from IP was on Feb 1. Though I really haven't looked at it in years. it used to be much more discussion oriented.
31337Logic3 hours ago
RIP :-(
andyjohnson09 hours ago
Another legend of our field has left the stage. RIP.
I never knew him, but I've been lurking on his IP list since the nineties. It was always informative, even as the web made tech news pervasive. Black bar, I reckon.
throw_m23933910 hours ago
RIP.
deejaaymac8 hours ago
RIP Dave
rvz10 hours ago
RIP. A true computer science legend and Bell Labs alumni.
vikkymelani4 hours ago
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