Robert Taylor (computer scientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert William Taylor
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Robert William Taylor in 2008
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| Born | February 10, 1932 |
| Died | April 13, 2017 (aged 85) Woodside, California, United States
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| Resting place | America |
| Alma mater | Southern Methodist University University of Texas |
| Known for | Internet pioneer Computer networking & Communication systems Modern personal computing |
| Children | Derek Taylor Erik Taylor Kurt Taylor |
| Awards | ACM Software Systems Award (1984) ACM Fellow (1994) National Medal of Technology and Innovation (1999) Charles Stark Draper Prize (2004) Computer History Museum Fellow (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | ARPA Xerox PARC Digital Equipment Corporation |
Robert William Taylor (born February 10, 1932 – died April 13, 2017) was an American Internet pioneer. He was often called Bob Taylor. He led teams that created many important parts of modern computers. These include the personal computer and the Internet.
Even though he had no formal training in computer science, Taylor had a special talent. He could imagine new computer ideas and help others build them. One historian said he could "hear a faint melody" and knew how to make it real.
Taylor believed the Internet was about connecting people. He said, "The Internet connects people who have shared interests, ideas and needs, regardless of geography." His work helped make this vision a reality.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Robert W. Taylor was born in Dallas, Texas in 1932. His father was a minister, so the family moved often. Robert started college at Southern Methodist University when he was just 16.
He later joined the United States Navy Reserve during the Korean War. After his service, he went to the University of Texas at Austin. He studied many subjects, like mathematics and philosophy. In 1957, he earned a degree in experimental psychology. This field studies how the mind works through experiments.
Taylor continued his studies and earned a master's degree in psychology in 1959. He was interested in how the nervous system works. He wanted to study the scientific side of psychology.
After college, Taylor taught math and coached basketball for a year. Then, he started working for aircraft companies. He helped design the MGM-31 Pershing missile. In 1962, he joined NASA. There, he managed projects for manned space flight.
Building the Computer World
While at NASA, Taylor met J. C. R. Licklider. Licklider was leading a new computer research office called IPTO at DARPA. Licklider had written an important article called "Man-Computer Symbiosis." This article imagined new ways people could use computers. It greatly influenced Taylor.
Taylor also worked with Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute. Taylor helped fund Engelbart's research. This led to the invention of the computer mouse. Engelbart's public demonstration of the mouse and other computer tools in 1968 was famous. It was called "the Mother of All Demos."
Leading the ARPANET Project
In 1965, Taylor moved from NASA to DARPA's IPTO office. He helped fund big computer research projects at universities. He noticed that each computer system had its own group of users. But these groups could not talk to each other.
Taylor wanted to build a computer network to connect all these projects. This way, he could use one computer to talk to all of them. By 1966, Taylor became the director of IPTO. He then led the ARPANET project until 1969.
ARPANET was a very early version of the Internet. Taylor convinced DARPA to give him money for the project. He hired Larry Roberts to manage it. They decided to use special computers called Interface Message Processors (IMPs) at each network point. This helped send information in small "packets."
In 1968, Licklider and Taylor wrote an article called "The Computer as a Communication Device." It predicted what the Internet would become. It said, "In a few years, men will be able to communicate more effectively through a machine than face to face."
Taylor also helped set up a computer center in Saigon during the Vietnam War. This helped the White House get more consistent reports. After this, he felt his work on ARPANET was done. He left DARPA in 1969.
Innovations at Xerox PARC
In 1970, Taylor moved to Palo Alto, California. He became a manager at Xerox PARC. This was a new research center for Xerox Corporation. Taylor helped bring many smart scientists to PARC.
At PARC, Taylor's teams developed many technologies. These inventions went beyond ARPANET. They helped create what we know today as the Internet and modern personal computers. Some key developments included:
- Powerful Personal Computers: They built computers like the Xerox Alto. These had windowed screens and graphical user interfaces (GUIs). A GUI lets you use pictures and icons instead of just typing commands. These ideas inspired computers like the Apple Lisa and Macintosh.
- Ethernet: This technology connects computers within a building or campus. It was a big step in local computer networking.
- The First Internet: They connected Ethernet to ARPANET using a new system. This system was a early version of TCP/IP, which the Internet uses today.
- Laser Printer: They developed the electronics and software for the laser printer. This made printing much faster and better quality.
- WYSIWYG Word Processing: They created "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) word programs. This meant what you saw on the screen looked exactly like what would print. Bravo was an early example. It later influenced Microsoft Word.
- SuperPaint: This was a groundbreaking graphics program. It helped create computer graphics and was used in early animation.
Taylor was known for his ability to bring brilliant scientists together. He helped them work well as a team. They had weekly meetings where they discussed ideas openly. This helped them make progress without a strict management structure.
In 1983, Taylor and most of his researchers left Xerox. They felt Xerox was not using their inventions well.
Building the DEC Systems Research Center
After leaving Xerox, Taylor was hired by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). He started the DEC Systems Research Center (SRC) in Palo Alto. Many of his former researchers from Xerox PARC joined him there.
At SRC, they worked on many new projects. These included a new programming language called Modula-3. They also developed the first multi-threaded Unix system. This allowed computers to do many tasks at once. SRC also created the AltaVista search engine. This was one of the first popular search engines on the Internet.
Later Life and Legacy
Taylor retired from DEC in 1996. He lived in Woodside, California. In 2000, he shared his concerns about the Internet's future. He worried about who would control it and who would have access to it.
Robert William Taylor passed away on April 13, 2017. He suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Awards and Recognition
Robert Taylor received many important awards for his work:
- In 1984, he received the ACM Software System Award. This was for his work on the Xerox Alto System. It showed that personal computers could be a great alternative to sharing one big computer.
- In 1999, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. This award recognized his leadership in developing computer networks, personal computers, and graphical user interfaces.
- In 2004, he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize. This is one of the highest awards in engineering. It honored his vision and development of the first practical networked personal computers.
- In 2013, the Computer History Museum named him a Museum Fellow. This recognized his leadership in computer networking and modern personal computing.
See also
- Internet pioneers
