Internet Pioneers: J.C.R Licklider

Much like Vannevar Bush, J.C.R. Licklider's contribution to the development of the Internet consists of ideas not inventions. He foresaw the need for networked computers with easy user interfaces. His ideas foretold of graphical computing, point-and -click interfaces, digital libraries, e-commerce, online banking, and software that would exist on a network and migrate to wherever it was needed. He has been called, "Computing's Johnny Appleseed," a well-deserved nickname for a man who planted the seeds of computing in the digital age. (Waldrop, 2000).

Licklider planted his metaphorical seeds at two very important places. Most importantly, he worked for several years at ARPA where he set the stage for the creation of the ARPANET. He also worked at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) the company that supplied the first computers connected on the ARPANET.[cont]