Larry Roberts: Father of Packet SwitchingBy Anonymous on June 19, 2009, 4:22 pmLAN's or WAN's, without Larry Roberts they wouldn't work. Thanks Larry.

Father of the Disk Drive - Al ShugartBy Anonymous on June 19, 2009, 12:18 pmAl was an icon who helped shape an industry and the technology world we live in today. Al’s career spanned more than 50 years in technology. Beginning at the age of 21, the day after graduating from the University of Redlands, Al started at IBM in 1951. In 1955, Al helped pioneer the development of the world’s first disk drive. In 1969, Al joined Memorex as VP of Product Development and then in 1973 Al founded Shugart Associates. And then in 1979, he founded what he would consider one of his greatest accomplishments, Seagate Technology. During his professional career, noteworthy milestones and recognitions include:  In 1997 and 1998 he was named in Forbes as one of Corporate America’s Most Powerful People  Heads of state, including Malaysia, knighted him for his contributions to the country and its economy.  In 1999, he the Santa Cruz County Sentinel, recognized Al as one of Santa Cruz County’s Top Influential People of the Century  2002 included his inductee into the Electronic Design Hall of Fame  And in 2005 was a Fellow Inductee, Computer History Museum

Grace HooperBy Anonymous on April 27, 2009, 6:12 pmShe should be mentioned along with the other great early pioneers in the computer industry. If my memory is correct she was on of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, She also pioneered the concept of having a computer language that was close to English instead of machine language. Her work led to the development of the COBOL language.

PentiumBy Anonymous on June 20, 2008, 5:06 amHow come Vinod Dham the father of the Pentium chip is left out from this list.

Father of Public Relations Spam was a Deccie tooBy Anonymous on June 17, 2008, 1:21 pmHi, I sent the writeup about the Father of Spam to some former Deccies who used to work in PR. One of my former colleagues wrote back (and I said I would post his email in the comment section, so the names are not changed to protect the innocent): Who was the first Deccie to email a press release to a reporter? Yours truly. Some of the editors on the list flamed me because at that time (1988) one did not use the Internet for commercial purposes. So then I sent out a "request list" to reporters so they could request to receive them. Almost all the reporters I had email address for wanted the press releases via email.... they thought it was a novel idea. Of course, Corporate PR knew nothing about this. I eventually called the service "DECnews" and someone in corporate took it over. Dave Price

Roger Billings, father of Client/Server NetworkingBy Anonymous on June 16, 2008, 11:18 amHere's another one that's missing: Roger Billings, the father of Client/Server Networking. He developed this in the early '80s and received the patent. This invention is what what NetWare and most of the network operating systems were based on.

Gary Kildall!By Anonymous on June 14, 2008, 5:14 pmHey, what about Gary Kildall? He did create CP/M, which was copied by a small company (at the time) named Microsoft to make DOS, and the rest, as they say, is history. Of course, Billy G is celebrated as a father of technology, but poor Mr. Kildall is the real father behind DOS....

technology?By Anonymous on June 14, 2008, 1:55 pmSince you call them "Fathers of Technology" it is disappointing that they are all in one sub-subfield of technology, namely information technology. My favorite Father of Technology would be James Watt, credited with invention of the steam engine. That was a seminal invention in the beginnings of industrialization. A second choice would be Thomas Edison, usually credited with invention of the incandescent lamp. Unfortunately lost in the mists of prehistory is the anonymous inventor of The Wheel, without which little that we do today would be possible.

who's the father of technology?By Anonymous on June 13, 2008, 9:32 pmFirst, we must define an area of technology to find the father of technology. Let's consider the store & forward packet switching technology - that started all forms of modern computer-controlled networking. That should make Melvin L. Doelz the real father who invented the first commercial modem followed by a S/F message switch.

While far from unknown,By Anonymous on June 13, 2008, 9:31 pmWhile far from unknown, Steve Wozniak gets way too little credit from the mainstream consumer. Steve Jobs is not the sole creator of apple and all of it's fruity goodness. It was Woz, quietly working away in the background that did the real innovation.

Bob Metcalfe?By Anonymous on June 13, 2008, 4:57 pmBob Metcalfe is the father of Ethernet. He went on to form 3Com.

Another fatherBy Anonymous on June 13, 2008, 4:37 pmSteve Sasson, father of the digital camera. the digital camera

Unsung....and ripped offBy Schratboy on June 13, 2008, 10:52 amMy father invented and patented the retractable seat beat. Showing it to GM and offering a license deal, they ended up stealing the idea. So to him, I bestow a unsung father of technology shout-out! GM ripped off the guy who invented the intermittent wind shield wiper too. It took him 15 years of law suits to ultimately win a $75 million dollar judgment against them.

The Father of "Father of...." stories: Neal WeinbergBy Inbox on June 13, 2008, 10:43 amYes, I think that title goes to NW's own Neal W., who also did this story in 2004: Saluting digital dads

alan turing, anyone...By Anonymous on June 13, 2008, 10:29 amalan turing, anyone... anyone ?