Virtual Heroes

Virtual Heroes

The Act

 

Jon Postel 1943-1998

 

 

 

  • Internet Networking Pioneer and Visionary
  • Founder, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority - (www.iana,org) – the central coordinator for the Internet address space, domain names and Internet protocol conventions essential to the use and operation of the Internet
  • Tribute: www.iana.org/postel/index.html

Source: www.domainhandbook.com/postel.html

Kevin Mitnick

Linus Torvalds
  • Creator of Linux – a freely distributed Unix-type operating system

"A long time ago, in a network, far far away, a great adventure took place! Out of the chaos of new ideas for communication, the experiments, the tentative designs, and crucible of testing, there emerged a cornucopia of networks. Beginning with the ARPANET, an endless stream of networks evolved, and ultimately were interlinked to become the Internet. Someone had to keep track of all the protocols, the identifiers, networks and addresses and ultimately the names of all the things in the networked universe……."

Cerf, 1998 – a remembrance to Jonathan B. Postel

Pioneers, rebels, and inventors can all be considered heroes in societies. A hero provides someone others admire. Heroes embody the traits admired by a society. By studying the heroes of a culture, we can begin to see the values held by that culture.

Jon Postel, a network pioneer, is hailed as a hero in Virtual Nation. When he died, letters of condolence were sent from around the world by people who have known him only through his work (Tribute to Our Friend, 1998). His gains on the frontier of the Virtual Nation embody the pioneering spirit of discovery valued by this society.

Kevin Mitnick, imprisoned for allegedly illegally accessing computer systems and transferring copyrighted software, has become an icon for hackers and young programmers around the world. Thousands of E-mails and petitions have been circulated in support of Mitnick (Free Kevin Mitnick, The Official Kevin Mitnick Site). His perceived martyrdom has escalated his reputation as a man of the people of the Virtual Nation. His willingness to fight, what seems to many, an unfair system embodies the rebellious spirit admired by many in the Virtual Nation.

Linus Torvalds is famous for the development of Linux, an open source code operating system. By creating a stable, working environment then sharing the secrets of that environment with others, Torvalds is revered for embodying the defiant spirit of anti-commercialism (Learmonth, 1997).