Ray Tomlinson Biography

Want to receive notifications from the Channel One website? It’s not now on January 8, 40 years ago, a programmer from the USA Ray Tolinson inhaled a new life into an old symbol of an American computer, wrote an email and used a sign that is called a “dog” in Russia, in Greece a “duck”, in Japan, a “mouse” in Taiwan. But, as do not call him, the meaning is now clear without explanation around the world.

Almost half a century in one place. Rey Tolinon in the morning comes to this street from the middle of x. In his 70, he is still the best programmer in a company that fulfills special orders of the military. But the main invention of Ray did not score. At the age of 30, he came up with e -mail to send messages from one computer to another, mainly colleagues from other rooms who are not approaching the phone.

Rey Tominons, an email inventor: "I think simplicity is the main thing. The email address and after 40 years looks as before. Of course, now you can attach files, send something else besides the text, but the main idea is clear and easy to remember how to use it." The essence of the invention - the user name is separated from the server, to which your computer is connected. Figuratively speaking, up to this point, by wires, they exchanged as if with notes from hand to hand in the framework of one computer, Rei gave humanity a full electronic mailbox, into which letters from afar instantly come.

He made a capital letter "A" with a separator with a twisting tail.

This symbol is used in English as an abbreviated spelling of the preposition "AT", translated into Russian denoting: "at", "on" or "software". The sign "AT", or, as they call it in modern Russian, the sign "Dog" appeared on the first printing machines of the late 19th century. That is, even then it was possible to print something like Koltsov 1TV. But before the era of email, this inscription would at a dead end of any English -language reader.

The sign was used mainly in commercial correspondence, for example, designating that some product can be bought at $ 25. In today's English, this symbol came from ancient Europe, in the Middle Ages it denoted a measure of volume - one amphora. The New York Museum of Modern Art even stores manuscripts in which this sign is present. One is dated to the year, the other one hundred years older.

Rey Tominons, an email inventor: "Other signs could be used, but they could be confused with part of someone’s name. Therefore, I immediately drew attention to the" AT "sign, especially since in English it is almost literally: such and such a user, on such and such a computer." Among the mass of pluses, this epoch-making invention has its disadvantages, many New York postmen believe.

In their bags, letters written by hand are now rarely found - mainly accounts or boxes with goods purchased on the Internet. Samuel Edams, postman: “Email kills our business. Because there are fewer people send simple letters, it’s easier for them to do it on the Internet - so faster. But for another 20 years we will hold out. And what will happen next - who knows?

He says that the invention did not make sense - there were too few users to generate commercial profits, but now the statute of time was expired, after which patents were not patents. Given. Therefore, the main capital of this inventor is worldwide glory among programmers and a place in history textbooks. As a person is still in love with his profession, Rei is quite satisfied with this.