Jon Postel Quotes


I think they called me the closest thing to a God of the Internet. But at the end, that article wasn't very complimentary, because the author suggested that I wasn't doing a very good job, and that I ought to be replaced by a "professional." Of course, there isn't any "God of the Internet." The Internet works because a lot of people cooperate to do things together.


Citations

Postel, Jon. Interview. Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, 1998.

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Jon Postel
Jon Postel
  • Born: August 6, 1943
  • Died: October 16, 1998
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Scientist

Jonathan Bruce Postel was an American computer scientist who made many significant contributions to the development of the Internet, particularly with respect to standards. He is known principally for being the Editor of the Request for Comment (RFC) document series, for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and for administering the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) until his death. In his lifetime he was known as the "god of the Internet" for his comprehensive influence on the medium, although Postel himself noted that this "compliment" came with a barb — with the article that introduced it also suggesting that he should be replaced by a "Professional."