Historical contribution
What Tomlinson contributed
In 1971 he combined local mailbox software with an ARPANET transfer mechanism and used @ to separate a user name from the host computer.
Why it mattered
Network email quickly became one of the most heavily used forms of computer-mediated communication and helped make networks valuable for person-to-person exchange.
Connected topics
Where this fits in ITEM
Evidence
Sources and further reading
- Email creator Ray Tomlinson inducted into Internet Hall of Fame, 2012
Raytheon BBN Technologies · 2012
- CTSS Documents and CTSS Programmer’s Guide materials
MIT CSAIL