Remembering IANA

It was five years ago today (October 16, 2003) that Dr. Jon Postel, the "Father of the Internet," passed away. At the time of his death, "IANA," as his friends often called him, was overseeing the transference of the Internet's regulatory activities to private concerns. Up until that time, Jon Postel WAS the Internet for all practical purposes, as it was he who ultimately assigned the globally-unique IP addresses that were required to make things work.

Jon's involvement in the development of the Internet started before there even was an Internet. He was the one who developed and maintained the RFC's (requests for comments) that documented how the Internet worked and how computers would use it. That alone was more than most individuals would have been able to contribute to what has since become a gigantic undertaking.

But enough of the reminiscing! Join me now for a moment of appreciation of this remarkable man whose far-sightedness gave us what is arguably the greatest means of bringing people together ever devised, regardless of where they might be on this planet. And a pox on the spam-meisters who would try to spoil it!

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