Dave Farber has died

[kristopolous]

I was trying to get a hold of him for years. People who knew him kept saying they'd get me in touch, never did.

His name pops up a lot during the 60s and 70s as an author on numerous articles about networks, often regarding many competing, now defunct alternative networks to the Internet.

Examples of scans I personally made: https://siliconfolklore.com/internet-history/farber-datamati... and https://siliconfolklore.com/internet-history/farber-datamati...

He's one of those people where you go through archival industry journals and are like "oh look there he is again"

For instance, SNOBOL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNOBOL

[quadhome]

IP-Asia met every week via Zoom. Several other people whose names appear in the same literature frequented it too. Pop in tonight for the final session?

[nunobrito]

Met him without knowing who this person was when proposing a decentralized anti-virus platform, he cared and helped a lot. Besides teaching, Dave never stopped learning. Quite a good role model for everyone here.

[tosh]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Farber

[throw0101c]

> After moving to the University of Delaware, Farber helped conceive and organize the National Science Foundation’s Computer Science Network (CSNet), which made then-experimental networking technology available to academic computer scientists and was instrumental in spreading the technology globally, to both industry and academia. Farber also helped plan and develop NSFNET and National Research & Education Network (NREN), efforts that led to the development of the current commercial Internet. Along with Bob Kahn, he conceived the pioneering Gigabit Testbed activity of the NSF.

* https://www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/dave-farber/

[anjel]

Farberisms

https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm

[fsckboy]

these are basically like the things Yogi Berra was famous for saying, like "Nobody goes there any more, it's always too crowded."

and apropos this moment:

You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise, they won't come to yours. -- Yogi Berra

[zamadatix]

Thanks for this, it gave me many good chuckles. I feel like I see these kinds of lists less often lately. Does anyone know of some more recent good ones?

[virtualwhys]

Not sure why but I especially enjoyed, "I've got to get my ass together", it's almost like a koan.

[cyanbane]

Good to see a lot of these archived: https://seclists.org/interesting-people/

What a life lived.

[ricktdotorg]

Dave's Interesting People email list was a TRUE highlight of the early Internet.

[ambarp2]

It was amazing

[jordanscales]

Was fortunate enough to attend a few guest lectures from him at Stevens when I got my minor degree in science and technology studies. He was so sharp that I was blown away that he was (at the time) 80 years old.

I wonder what his life in Tokyo was like! Did he ever write about it?

[andyjohnson0]

I recall a few posts when he moved out there. Based on a quick look at my archived IP emails:

https://seclists.org/interesting-people/2018/Jun/35

https://seclists.org/interesting-people/2018/Jul/2

https://seclists.org/interesting-people/2018/Jul/84

[hn_acker]

From [1]:

> Dave was the longest-serving EFF Board member, having joined in the early 1990s, before the creation of the World Wide Web or the widespread adoption of the internet.

[1] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/rip-dave-farber-eff-bo...

[reader9274]

"at the too-young age of 91"

Ok I chuckled

[unsupp0rted]

Someday soon this won't be humor. I pray for that day.

[siroccoeclipse]

His funeral will be streamed via Zoom, you can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OOeny8m3R7uvxA0Q...

[Insanity]

RIP.

Original email mentions “too young age of 91”, but IMO that’s a beautiful age to reach, especially for a life seemingly well lived!

[sennawcf1]

Met this gentleman on a plane and we had an amazing conversation of Health care exchanges and information. I did not know him other than that and posts on LinkedIN. I learned so much in such a short time.

[gpvos]

I think a black bar is in order.

[sejje]

Amen.

[NooneAtAll3]

is there a list somewhere of people that did cause a black bar?

[paulj5]

Youtube interview Dave Farber

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSxh_8H7TBQ

[compsciphd]

last email from IP was on Feb 1. Though I really haven't looked at it in years. it used to be much more discussion oriented.

[rvz]

RIP. A true computer science legend and Bell Labs alumni.

[xbar]

Thanks for all the science, Dave. RIP.

[andyjohnson0]

Another legend of our field has left the stage. RIP.

I never knew him, but I've been lurking on his IP list since the nineties. It was always informative, even as the web made tech news pervasive. Black bar, I reckon.

[bitwize]

Stevens graduate. Go Ducks!

[31337Logic]

RIP :-(