Dave Farber Dies at Age 91 (seclists.org)
- Reference: 0180758092
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/02/08/2040202/dave-farber-dies-at-age-91
- Source link: https://seclists.org/nanog/2026/Feb/18
> We are heartbroken to report that our colleague — our mentor, friend, and conscience — David J. Farber passed away suddenly at his home in Roppongi, Tokyo. He left us on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the too-young age of 91...
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> Dave's career began with his education at Stevens Institute of Technology, which he loved deeply and served as a Trustee. He joined the legendary Bell Labs during its heyday, and worked at the Rand Corporation. Along the way, among countless other activities, he served as Chief Technologist of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission; became a proficient (instrument-rated) pilot; and was an active board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil-liberties organization.
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> His professional accomplishments and impact are almost endless, but often captured by one moniker: " [2]grandfather of the Internet ," acknowledging the foundational contributions made by his many students at the University of California, Irvine; the University of Delaware; the University of Pennsylvania; and Carnegie Mellon University. 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... Dave thrived in Japan in every way...
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> It's impossible to summarize a life and career as rich and long as Dave"s in our few words here. And each of us, even those who knew him for decades, represent just one facet of his life. But because we are here at its end, we have the sad duty of sharing this news.
Farber [3]once said that " At both Bell Labs and Rand, I had the privilege, at a young age, of working with and learning from giants in our field. Truly I can say (as have others) that I have done good things because I stood on the shoulders of those giants. In particular, I owe much to Dr. Richard Hamming, Paul Baran and George Mealy."
[1] https://seclists.org/nanog/2026/Feb/18
[2] https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/cross-check/dave-farber-internets-grandfather-seeks-to-cut-through-fog-of-cyberwar/
[3] https://www.edge.org/memberbio/david_farber
A Dave Farber story (Score:5, Interesting)
In 2002 Slashdot reader #16,933 remembered asking Farber what he thought of claims that Al vice president Al Gore had invented the internet, "expecting to get a chuckle out of him, because he knew many of the people that might have actually been able to make that kind of claim." He shared Farber's response in [1]a comment on [slashdot.org].
"Instead, he got kind of serious, and said, 'Well, no, he didn't create the internet, and I think he's been quoted out of context, but he was absolutely responsible for creating the legislative environment that allowed that type of research to be done, and lead to the [2]creation of the internet.'" [theregister.com]
[1] https://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=47154&cid=4839008
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2000/10/02/net_builders_kahn_cerf_recognise/
Re: (Score:2)
I remember watching Gore's speech where he talked about this. Gore was certainly influential in "de-regulating ARPAnet" - if that's even the right way to word that. So, while he didn't "invent the internet", he was very influential in bringing it public.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, Al Gore did not say he "invented" the internet. Here's what he actually said:
During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. -- Al Gore
Re: (Score:2)
Okay, so maybe Al Gore didn't invent the internet... but [1]he DID invent the environment [youtu.be].
AND he has ridden the mighty Moon Worm.
[1] https://youtu.be/_if3zTESaMk?si=aU7fXL5at7eshPgr
Re: (Score:2)
Are you being super serial?
Re: (Score:1)
Gore never said he invented the Internet. This came from a story by Declan McCullagh in Wired News, mocking Gore for taking credit for the success of the Internet. Gore did deserve credit for his role in supporting the early development of the Internet and was practically the only member of Congress paying attention to the Internet in the early days, when it was primarily an academic/government network.
Dave will be missed (Score:3, Insightful)
Dave was a good guy, a kind person with a big heart, and someone who wanted the Internet to work well and benefit society. Dave's interesting people email list was pretty influential at one point. Dave had a type of soft authority, that people paid attention to, because of his combination of technical knowledge, altruistic motives and common sense.
So ... (Score:2)
> someone who wanted the Internet to work well and benefit society
... he was assassinated by Google?
Dave's students are a who's who of the Internet (Score:2)
As are the students of his students. He was a brilliant man, and still razor-sharp at 91. He had a quiet way of speaking authoritatively, and anyone who listened to him for a while realized that he wasn't just smart; he was wise. His grasp of the big picture and the long term in the context of the details and the now was amazing.
We have lost a giant. And I can only hope that everyone will take the time not just to pay their respects, but to read what he wrote, and listen to what he said, and to try t
"Grandfather" checks out (Score:4, Informative)
Farber was Jon Postel's PhD thesis adviser at UCLA, wow.