Ward Christensen, Co-Inventor of the First BBS, Passes Away at 78
Ward Christensen, a pioneer of digital communication and co-creator of the first computer bulletin board system (BBS), has died at the age of 78 in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Authorities discovered Christensen at his home on Friday, following a wellness check requested by friends concerned after not hearing from him.
In 1978, Christensen and collaborator Randy Suess introduced the world’s first BBS in Chicago, marking the beginning of an era of online interaction that would lay the groundwork for today’s internet-based communities. During the 1980s and 1990s, BBSes became hubs for early online multiplayer games, message boards, and user-driven communities, fostering connections long before the internet became widely accessible beyond research institutions and academia. These platforms also played a key role in the rise of the shareware gaming movement, which paved the way for companies like Epic Games.
Those close to Christensen recall him as modest and soft-spoken, someone who never sought fame for his transformative contributions. Despite his role in launching one of the foundational technologies of the digital world, Christensen kept a low public profile, choosing instead to focus on his career at IBM. He never expressed regret or frustration about the direction technology took as the internet evolved beyond his early innovations.
“He was the gentlest, most easygoing guy,” said Jason Scott, creator of BBS: The Documentary, in an interview with Ars Technica. Scott, who interviewed Christensen extensively in 2002, reflected, “He was exactly as you’d imagine—a quiet, unassuming man, much like a caretaker going about his work without fanfare.”
Tech expert Lauren Weinstein first announced Christensen’s death on Sunday. A close friend later confirmed that he likely passed away overnight between October 10 and 11. Concerned friends, noticing his unusual silence, contacted the police on Friday, leading to the wellness check. The exact cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Before co-founding the BBS, Christensen developed XMODEM in 1977, a groundbreaking file transfer protocol that enabled stable communication by breaking files into packets. XMODEM’s success ensured the reliable delivery of data over noisy, analog phone lines, setting the stage for future file-sharing protocols and contributing significantly to the development of online communication.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...d-architect-of-our-online-age-dies-at-age-78/
Ward Christensen, a pioneer of digital communication and co-creator of the first computer bulletin board system (BBS), has died at the age of 78 in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Authorities discovered Christensen at his home on Friday, following a wellness check requested by friends concerned after not hearing from him.
In 1978, Christensen and collaborator Randy Suess introduced the world’s first BBS in Chicago, marking the beginning of an era of online interaction that would lay the groundwork for today’s internet-based communities. During the 1980s and 1990s, BBSes became hubs for early online multiplayer games, message boards, and user-driven communities, fostering connections long before the internet became widely accessible beyond research institutions and academia. These platforms also played a key role in the rise of the shareware gaming movement, which paved the way for companies like Epic Games.
Those close to Christensen recall him as modest and soft-spoken, someone who never sought fame for his transformative contributions. Despite his role in launching one of the foundational technologies of the digital world, Christensen kept a low public profile, choosing instead to focus on his career at IBM. He never expressed regret or frustration about the direction technology took as the internet evolved beyond his early innovations.
“He was the gentlest, most easygoing guy,” said Jason Scott, creator of BBS: The Documentary, in an interview with Ars Technica. Scott, who interviewed Christensen extensively in 2002, reflected, “He was exactly as you’d imagine—a quiet, unassuming man, much like a caretaker going about his work without fanfare.”
Tech expert Lauren Weinstein first announced Christensen’s death on Sunday. A close friend later confirmed that he likely passed away overnight between October 10 and 11. Concerned friends, noticing his unusual silence, contacted the police on Friday, leading to the wellness check. The exact cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Before co-founding the BBS, Christensen developed XMODEM in 1977, a groundbreaking file transfer protocol that enabled stable communication by breaking files into packets. XMODEM’s success ensured the reliable delivery of data over noisy, analog phone lines, setting the stage for future file-sharing protocols and contributing significantly to the development of online communication.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...d-architect-of-our-online-age-dies-at-age-78/
