J. C. R. Licklider
Licklider linked technical systems to human collaboration. His network vision and research leadership helped turn interactive computing and resource sharing into practical research programs.
Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, widely known as “Lick,” was an American psychologist and computer scientist. His 1960 essay Man-Computer Symbiosis argued for close, interactive collaboration between people and computers.
Network vision and ARPA
As head of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office from 1962, Licklider promoted time-sharing and a network of computers that could share resources. His memoranda described an “Intergalactic Computer Network,” a formative vision for the systems that became ARPANET.
In memoriam
Licklider died in 1990. His focus on people communicating through computers remains one of the clearest early statements of the social potential of networked computing.
Timeline
- 1915-03-11Born in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1960Publishes Man-Computer Symbiosis.
- 1962Becomes the first head of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office.
- 1963Circulates memoranda about a time-sharing network of computers.
- 1968Co-authors The Computer as a Communication Device.
- 1990-06-26Dies in Arlington, Massachusetts.
J. C. R. Licklider
- Type
- Person
- Era
- 1950s-1990
- Born
- 1915
- Died
- 1990
- Known for
- Man-Computer Symbiosis; Intergalactic Computer Network; ARPA IPTO; Project MAC
- Tags
- networking, interactive-computing, arpanet, academic-research
Created by Joas A Santos · Something wrong or want it removed? Open an issue.