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Bob Taylor, a young man who had started college to become a minister but ended up serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, found himself working at NASA in the 1960s. During his time there, he became interested in computing research and joined an informal committee led by J.C.R. Licklider. This committee exchanged information about their computer research projects and looked for ways to collaborate and avoid duplication. Taylor was fascinated by Licklider’s ideas and saw the potential for computing research to be more rewarding than his previous work in psychology.

In 1965, Taylor became the director of the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). He inherited Licklider’s vision of making the computer an amplifier of human potential. Taylor was frustrated by the “terminal problem,” which was the duplication and isolation of costly computing resources. He wanted to find a solution to this problem and remembered an idea that Licklider had discussed with him before. Taylor decided to act on this idea and proposed to build a network that would connect computers and allow researchers to share resources and results more easily.

Taylor approached his boss, Charles Herzfeld, and convinced him to fund the networking experiment. Taylor believed that the network would not only reduce costs by allowing researchers to share resources, but it would also improve reliability by enabling redundant connections. With Herzfeld’s approval and a budget of one million dollars, Taylor set out to find a program manager who could design and build the network.

Taylor had someone in mind: Larry Roberts, a computer scientist from Lincoln Labs. Roberts had already done successful experiments in networking and had the necessary technical expertise and management skills. However, Roberts initially declined Taylor’s job offer because he enjoyed his work at Lincoln. Undeterred, Taylor made multiple visits to Roberts, trying to persuade him to change his mind. Finally, Taylor asked Herzfeld to intervene and convince the director of Lincoln Lab to encourage Roberts to take the job. Two weeks later, Roberts accepted the position.

Roberts quickly became immersed in the project and developed a detailed plan for the network. He drew network diagrams and envisioned a system where computers could connect and share resources. Roberts’s expertise in computer design, telecommunications systems, and management made him the perfect fit for the job.

The network that Taylor and Roberts envisioned would be a departure from traditional computer research and development. Instead of focusing on the technical parameters of speed, reliability, and memory size, the network would be a tool for collaboration and resource sharing. Taylor and Roberts believed that a network of connected computers could amplify human intellectual power and foster innovation.

The network project faced challenges, particularly from AT&T, which held a monopoly on telecommunications in the United States. AT&T was resistant to new technology and tried to maintain control over the telephone system. However, in 1968, the FCC allowed the use of the Carterfone, a device that connected private radios to the telephone system, which signaled a loosening of AT&T’s control.

In conclusion, Bob Taylor and Larry Roberts were instrumental in the development of the early computer network. Taylor’s proposal and Roberts’s technical expertise and management skills were crucial in bringing the vision of a networked computer system to life. This project marked a departure from traditional computer research and focused on collaboration and resource sharing. The network project faced challenges from AT&T but ultimately paved the way for the development of modern computer networks.

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