It's important to pause now and then to recall what a glorious time we live in, where we are alive at the same moment as so many other great human beings. Some in technology. Some in humanitarian works. Some in music. Even if they're near the end of their time here, that you and I existed on this ball of rock at the same time they walked it is pretty fantastic.
RTM and his controversial (for that time) Internet worm were key influences during my early years with computers and computer networks. My condolences to him and the rest of the Morris family.
When I was doing my doctorate in security I used to attend or give papers at the IEEE Computer Security Foundations Workshop (http://www.ieee-security.org/CSFWweb/) which was held in a lovely old hotel in Franconia, NH. This was a really small gathering of people deeply involved the theory of securing computers.
Bob Morris and his wife Anne used to attend each year. It was unusual for people to bring their loved ones to this gathering and having the two of them there gave a certain holiday like atmosphere to the whole affair.
He was a gentleman and very kind to me as a young graduate student and I remember well playing games in the hotel grounds with him and Anne. At the time he was Chief Scientist at the NSA and the Rainbow books had been produced under his gaze. But he was humble, approachable and helpful.
Thanks for posting that, this was the passage I thought of immediately upon seeing the announcement, and my introduction to who Morris was and why he was so important.
Wanted to say the same thing, I just finished the book a week ago, never heard of him before and still I feel strangely affected by his death. Condolences to his family and firends.
The first Java program I remember writing was something that generated the "Robert Morris Sequence" -- the number sequence that Robert Morris Sr. gave to Cliff Stoll, which Stoll referenced in chapter 48 of the Cuckoo's Egg:
My favorite part is how he starts off by critiquing Stoll's dissertation. "...although I thought that all atmostpheres were adiabatic so long as they convected."
It seems like the pioneers in new fields (computer security in this case) tend to know a lot about other ones, also.
Condolences to rtm and the rest of his family. Here is a link to one of the nicest stories about Robert Morris, written by Dennis Ritchie, his friend and former colleague:
It's a poignant reminder of just how young our field is that we are mourning the loss of some true early pioneers. Imagine if you were a physicist just learning of the passing of Newton? It's also a reminder to value the experience and wisdom of those who are still here with us...
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[ 2.0 ms ] story [ 118 ms ] threadWhat a pity, that's sad news to wake up to.
Condolences to Robert.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Morris_%28cryptographer%...
Never underestimate the attention, risk, money and time that an opponent will put into reading traffic.
Rule 1 of cryptanalysis: check for plaintext.
The three golden rules to ensure computer security are: do not own a computer; do not power it on; and do not use it.
--Robert Morris
I'm glad he powered on and used his.
My condolences to his family. He was quite an accomplished computer scientist.
My best to Mr. Morris and his family and friends.
When I was doing my doctorate in security I used to attend or give papers at the IEEE Computer Security Foundations Workshop (http://www.ieee-security.org/CSFWweb/) which was held in a lovely old hotel in Franconia, NH. This was a really small gathering of people deeply involved the theory of securing computers.
Bob Morris and his wife Anne used to attend each year. It was unusual for people to bring their loved ones to this gathering and having the two of them there gave a certain holiday like atmosphere to the whole affair.
He was a gentleman and very kind to me as a young graduate student and I remember well playing games in the hotel grounds with him and Anne. At the time he was Chief Scientist at the NSA and the Rainbow books had been produced under his gaze. But he was humble, approachable and helpful.
Condolences to rtm.
http://users.tmok.com/~pazzi/cuckoo_egg.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg_(book)
Condolences to rtm. A mighty oak has fallen.
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Today is truly a sad day.
It seems like the pioneers in new fields (computer security in this case) tend to know a lot about other ones, also.
http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/crypt.html
It's a poignant reminder of just how young our field is that we are mourning the loss of some true early pioneers. Imagine if you were a physicist just learning of the passing of Newton? It's also a reminder to value the experience and wisdom of those who are still here with us...