Ray Tomlinson, email, and the essential art of screwing around
A true pioneer has died: Ray Tomlinson passed away yesterday at the age of 74. In 1971, Tomlinson, then a programmer at R&D company Bolt Beranek and Newman, sent the first person-to-person message to a different computer: the first email. He also chose the at symbol—@—to be the crucial link between single users’ identities and their networks, transforming what had been an obscure sign used for accounting into one of the most recognizable features of the Internet Age. Of all of the well-deserved encomia from tech companies and journalists yesterday and today, my favorite bit comes from an article at… Continue reading Ray Tomlinson, email, and the essential art of screwing around