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.
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?
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.
> 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.
''In 2018, at the age of 83, Dave moved to Japan to become Distinguished
Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization
Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching, and taught his final class on
January 22, 2026.
At CCRC, one of his most enjoyable activities was co-hosting the IP-Asia
online gathering, which has met every Monday for more than five years and
has addressed many aspects of the impact of technology on civilization.''
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?
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?
Humans have been around for thousands of years. Look at what we've accomplished in the last hundred. We have artificial heart pumps now. In the next two hundred years, if cancer research doesn't slow down too much and if we find some quick fixes for neurodegeneration, I think it's entirely plausible that 90 will become the new 60. I doubt I'll be around for it, and we might never hit the "life extension outpaces people reaching their life expectancy" medical immortality Holy Grail; but in the abstract, there is hope.
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.
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
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?
I had no idea. I can't find out where this is. Can you send me a link
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.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Farber
> 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/
''In 2018, at the age of 83, Dave moved to Japan to become Distinguished Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching, and taught his final class on January 22, 2026.
At CCRC, one of his most enjoyable activities was co-hosting the IP-Asia online gathering, which has met every Monday for more than five years and has addressed many aspects of the impact of technology on civilization.''
https://lists.nanog.org/archives/list/nanog@lists.nanog.org/...
Farberisms
https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm
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?
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
Good to see a lot of these archived: https://seclists.org/interesting-people/
What a life lived.
Dave's Interesting People email list was a TRUE highlight of the early Internet.
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?
"at the too-young age of 91"
Ok I chuckled
Someday soon this won't be humor. I pray for that day.
“Someday soon”
Based on what exactly makes you think this?
Humans have been around for thousands of years. Look at what we've accomplished in the last hundred. We have artificial heart pumps now. In the next two hundred years, if cancer research doesn't slow down too much and if we find some quick fixes for neurodegeneration, I think it's entirely plausible that 90 will become the new 60. I doubt I'll be around for it, and we might never hit the "life extension outpaces people reaching their life expectancy" medical immortality Holy Grail; but in the abstract, there is hope.
Judging by https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46923612 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46901862, I expect unsupp0rted's logic is closer to "we'll build superintelligent AI servants some time next week, and that will usher in a new golden age"; but that doesn't make the claim invalid.
I think a black bar is in order.
Amen.
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!
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.
Another one of the greats gone.
RIP :-(
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.
RIP.
RIP Dave
RIP. A true computer science legend and Bell Labs alumni.