Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing
1972 documentary film
Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing is a short documentary film from 1972, produced by Steven King and directed/edited by Peter Chvany, about ARPANET, an early packet-switching network and one of the first networks to implement the protocol suite TCP/IP.
Content
The 30 minute film features many of the most important names in computer networking, especially J. C. R. Licklider and others from MIT's Project MAC who had connected a computer to ARPANET the year before.[1] According to a history of computing equipment by Columbia University it "begins with a montage of equipment ... and then has interviews with ARPANET creators."[2] The film discusses "the potential that this network has for revolutionizing so many industries and institutions".[3]
Participants
Speaking parts:
Fernando J. Corbató (Corby):[1] (voice 0:45-1:15, face 1:00-1:15, 15:10-15:40) Turing Award winner, implementer of multitasking operating systems.
J. C. R. Licklider (Lick):[1] (1:00-1:40), and many times throughout the film. Licklider discusses how, despite the invention of the printing press being a revolution, the transmission of information on paper was slow.[4] He also discusses collaboration, access to digital libraries, the transition to electronic information and the social processes involved in this.[5]
Daniel L. Murphy: (Behind the titles, several other times including about 15:44)
Unidentified:
(8:27-8:32, with beard and glasses): previously misidentified as Jon Postel
Reception
Cory Doctorow called the documentary a "fantastic 30 minutes of paleo-nerd memorabilia".[6] Matt Novak of Gizmodo said "When you hear a man like J.C.R. Licklider describe the information age before it had even begun to trickle into the public consciousness, we understand how forward-thinking these people developing the ARPANET in the late 1960s and early 1970s truly were."[3]Mark Liberman described it as "amazing".[5]
