Here's to you, World Wide Web

Professor Patrick Henry Winston ’65, SM ’67, PhD ’70

I was drinking a glass of wine the other day, while ordering some stuff over the web, when I reflected on a curious incident a long time ago.

It was back in the early 70s, when I was a young laboratory director, just as the ARPANET was getting off the ground.

The ARPA office that funded the laboratory was directed by Colonel David Russell, just out of service in Viet Nam. I imagine he viewed me as a kind of junior officer.

He called me up one day, and asked, with acid in his voice, “Do you know that someone in your laboratory has posted a wine list on the ARPANET?”

“Oh, oh,” I said to myself. Back in those days, everyone was concerned about the Golden Fleece Award, presented by Senator Proxmire, to those who did useless, frivolous, taxpayer-funded research. “Ugh, gee, what?” I said, knowing that John Hollerbach, our local oenophile, had done it. “I'll make sure it comes down right away,” I said, stupidly.

Two or three hours later, Colonel Russell's deputy called. “I hear someone in your laboratory has posted a wine list on the ARPANET.” “Oh, oh,” I said to myself. “Here we go again.”

“Colonel Russell has already talked to me about that,” I said, getting a little testy.

Then, a few seconds of silence, and he said, somewhat sheepishly, “Well, ok, I guess Colonel Russell can tell me how to get to it.”

Colonel Russell should have suggested we put a nice graphical interface in front of Hollerbach's list. I should have offered to put together some sort of front end so he could buy a bottle from Hollerbach. Then, we would have been the ones who changed the world.