Talk:Vint Cerf

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Name[edit]

The redirect should really be changed so that Vint Cerf bounces to Vinton Cerf, since the latter is his full name.

Yes, but everyone in the world, but everyone, calls him "Vint". And Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names) says we're supposed to use "the most common name of a person or thing". So having the article under "Vint Cerf" is exactly the right thing. Noel 02:44, 22 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Confusion over the Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award[edit]

Ok my first edit ever, and boy was this a big one! I saw there was some confusion over whether Vint Cerf received the Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award in 1995 or 1996. After some searching on the net I have come to the conclusion, the award was received in 1995.

In his Professional Curriculum Vitae, which can be found at his personal homepage (http://mci.com/cerfsup/), he mentions the following under the heading “Professional Memberships, Activities and Awards”: Softquad/Rubinsky Award, 1995.

This by itself is enough proof to solely name the year 1995 and not to cause any confusion.

If more confirmation is needed I suggest the following location: http://www.gallupippi.com/content/default.aspx?CI=15757

Which mentions the following: "In 1995, he was awarded the Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award."

Off course if absolute certainty is needed it is always possible to contact Vinton G. Cerf at: http://global.mci.com/us/enterprise/insight/cerfs_up/contact/

I will also be changing the following Wikipedia article, which too fails to mention 1995 as the proper year: http://wiki.alquds.edu/?query=Yuri_Rubinsky_Memorial_Award

I was unsure whether or not to add a reference as described at http://wiki.alquds.edu/?query=Wikipedia:Cite_sources, then again the personal homepage itself is already mentioned. --Brucevdk 18:17, 16 July 2005

I am not sure why any web sites, including Vint's, might state that he received the award in 1995. However, I can state with absolute certainty that he received the award at the Fifth WWW Conference in Paris in 1996. Yuri passed on Jan 21, 1996 and I handed out all of the awards that were subsequently given. See the wikipedia article on teh award itself. My name is Murray Maloney.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.82.9.54 (talk • contribs) 07:37, 22 January 2006
That may be, but Bruce has sources that support his claim. However, your experience of actually handing out the award is original research and therefore doesn't count for anything. Go Wiki! Whooooo! Rufmeister (talk) 22:30, 6 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

vint cerf: If Murray Maloney says he handed out the award to me in 1996, that strikes me as definitive. I wonder whether the confusion is mine or whether notification of award could possibly have come in 1995 and formally awarded in 1996? 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:17, 23 May 2011 (UTC) vint cerf[reply]

President's IT Advisory Council (PITAC)[edit]

"Vint Cerf is also a member of the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov IT Advisory Council, assigned with a Presidential Decree on March 8, 2002."

I wanted to tweak the grammar of this a little and discovered that there are apparently at least two entities named "President's IT Advisory Council (PITAC)", a Bulgarian [1] and a U.S. [2].

Cerf is apparently a member of the Bulgarian Council but not of the U.S. For all I know, other countries may also have a "President's IT Advisory Council (PITAC)".

There were two such committees. One was set up by President Bill Clinton and I served on that committee from 1996 to 2000 if memory serves. The other, similarly-named committee was for the Bulgarian President. ````VINT CERF

Vint Cerf on his biography[edit]

Vint Cerf was recently elected to the Smart Grip Interoperability Panel Board of Directors. Someone may want to add that to his bio. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Astronomyphile (talk • contribs) 14:03, 10 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Vint Cerf: actually that's the Smart GRID Interoperability Panel Governing Board.

GCN: Speaking of Wiki, is your Wikipedia entry accurate? [Editor’s note: The online collaborative encyclopedia recently came under fire when a contributor admitted he fabricated information.]
Cerf: There are a number of minor factual inaccuracies, and it is both incomplete and out of date. Thanks for reminding me to look at it; I need to update and correct the minor mistakes. One thing in particular: I can’t really be the Father of the Internet because so many people have had key roles to play. Bob Kahn actually started the internetting project at DARPA in late 1972 or early 1973 and then invited me to work with him on it just after I joined the Stanford faculty. So at most I am “one of the fathers” of the Internet.
Source

So there you have it, we're out of date and have inaccuracies. Anyone want to give it a shot in sorting this out? - Ta bu shi da yu 15:12, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cerf's objection is important to note, particularly in light of the fact that he's shared a number of major honors with Kahn. But a distinction exists between being called the "father of the Internet" and being its father. Cerf can't dispute the former, which can be verified easily with an internet search. In the edits I just completed, I cited his objection in a footnote, complete with a link to the GCN interview. 68.167.253.9 (talk · contribs) 21:03, 27 November 2007 (UTC).[reply]
I cleaned up the "father" claim. I am surprised that it had remained uncorrected since 2007!
There are no higher authorities in computing than ACM and IEEE; their cited awards serve as indisputable proof. Period!
The 'Larry Goldberg' link was a puny reference, particularly in light of the plethora of solid acknowledgements available elsewhere. Ditto the Al Gore article; besides, the Al-Gore-as-father-of-the-Internet notion has long ceased to serve as even a punchline! P00r (talk) 14:23, 4 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I must say, the way I always hear it from friends of the family who worked in DARPA at the time Cerf was very much Kahn's subordinate. Does anyone have a creditable source one way or the other on this? ~~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.108.76.181 (talk • contribs) 9 August 2006

Vint Cerf: Bob was the deputy director of the Information Processing Techniques Office when I joined in 1976. He subsequently became the Director of the Office. I was a program manager and eventually became the Principal Scientist in the office. I think Bob would agree that after he started the Internetting research program at ARPA/IPTO, he and I worked very closely together on the design if the Internet and its key protocols. I worked exclusively on this project while at Stanford and expanded my work at ARPA to include the packet radio and packet satellite and packet security progrrams as well as the Internetting program while at ARPA. I carried most of the detailed development management load while at ARPA. Of course, many scientists participated in the effort to flesh out and realize the design and formal deployment on January 1, 1983. 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:15, 23 May 2011 (UTC)vint cerf[reply]

Hearing Impairment[edit]

Can't this be changed to hard of hearing or deaf?

I am hard of hearing. Is there a preferred way to refer to this?? 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:20, 23 May 2011 (UTC)Vint Cerf[reply]

Relationship to other Cerf's[edit]

Does anyone know anything about Vinton Cerf's relationship, if any, to Bennett Cerf, or more about the surname: Cerf? --TMH (talk) 00:20, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I wondered the same thing. It took a bit of doing but I finally found some personal info on him and while I can't totally rule out any family connection, it would be very remote. He's not the son nor brother of Bennett Cerf. Vint was born in 1943 in New Haven. Bennett was born in New York City in 1898 and although he has two sons born around the 1940's, Vint is not one of them. Given the location of Random House, Bennet was probably living in New York City or its suburbs at that time. I found a couple of nuggets of information elsewhere, but the best bio information I have found so far comes from "Vinton G. Cerf Oral History"

http://www.cwhonors.org/search/oral_history_archive/vinton_g_cerf/oralhistory.

On the other hand, one of their sons is named Bennett. Ileanadu (talk) 18:50, 18 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For whatever it's worth, IMDb says they're cousins. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148576/bio Ileanadu (talk) 18:58, 18 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't there be some personal info about him in the article? What's the criteria for when such information is included - always or only for people in some areas? Shouldn't we at least have more detail in the box at least? Ileanadu (talk) 18:13, 18 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Vint Cerf: As best we can tell, there is a distant relationship. Maybe 4th cousins. In any case, Bennett A. Cerf's son, Christopher, is a good friend. My wife, Sigrid, and I named our youngest son Bennett Christopher Cerf and Christopher is actually Christopher Bennett Cerf. Even if there is no direct relationship, there is a strong social one! I met Bennett Cerf in 1960 as an undergraduate student at Stanford and stayed in touch until he died in 1971. 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:10, 23 May 2011 (UTC) Vint Cerf[reply]

Formatting of bibliography section[edit]

Is there a reason why 'Twas the night before start-up and "Networks" are not italic like the rest? Just noted it but thought I might ask first --Phisches (talk) 05:12, 11 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dr Dr Dr[edit]

Please don't use Dr Cerf all the time. It's policy to mention academic titles just once in a biographical section. Ben T/C 09:05, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

St. Cyril[edit]

I'm changing "St. St. Cyril" to "St. Cyril". Please let me know if there is reason to think the former is correct. Espertus (talk) 03:26, 13 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Achievements?[edit]

I believe there should be more talk of his achievements and not just his awards. 121.8.101.163 (talk) 00:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)Shawn H.[reply]

See Articles - What Articles?[edit]

The Introductory material ends with the following paragraph:

Cerf also went to the same high school as Jon Postel and Steve Crocker; he wrote the former's obituary. Both were also instrumental in the creation of the Internet as we know it (see articles).

What articles? Ileanadu (talk) 18:18, 18 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Jewish?[edit]

Several IPs have added to this article a statement that Cerf is Jewish (or of Jewish origins); others have removed it. Since it's clearly disputed, I've removed it for the time being, but does anyone actually have a source to prove it one way or the other? (Even if it is cited, it doesn't necessarily belong in the lead; but if it can't be sourced, it definitely shouldn't be.) Robofish (talk) 14:00, 17 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's just the same person using different IPs, all of them edit the Bob Kahn article too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.139.231.4 (talk) 14:27, 18 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It could be the same guy who called Alexander Graham Bell "...a jew and a eugenicist...". Bell was actually 'Unitarian Agnostic', but he truly was a eugenyst in a positive sense, long before the nutbars and the Nazis decided that eugenics should include wholesale murder, torture, extermination, genocide and other assaults on humans such as sterilization. He disassociated himself from the research when he saw the nasty direction it was starting to take. HarryZilber (talk) 20:05, 18 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know why he's so devoted to the arbitrary task of making Cerf Jewish, but it is unverifiable and a nuisance. He's reverted several user's edits about five times now. Surely it's become vandalism? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.139.231.4 (talk) 00:57, 19 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

From Vint Cerf: I was born into a Protestant Christian family. I am unaware of any Jewish connections. Bob Kahn is Jewish as is my good friend, Steve Crocker. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:05, 23 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Removal of picture[edit]

A picture in this article, of a 1960s numberplate saying "Cerfs Up", has recently been removed with the edit summary "This isn't needed". I find no related discussion on this talk page, thus no consensus for the removal sought or achieved. This was arguably the only interesting picture in the article, it was certainly the only picture which caught my attention and it demonstrates that the subject has a sense of humour as well as being a genius who has helped change the world. Thus I propose that it be restored. Unfortunately I can't just revert this as a challenged bold edit because the picture has also been deleted. I request that the original editor User:Swatjester restore the previous state of the article and seek consensus for the change. --Mirokado (talk) 00:47, 11 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I will decline. It was a BLP concern (which does not require consensus to remove), it was unencyclopedic, and the image added nothing of value to the article whatsoever. ⇒SWATJester Son of the Defender 01:02, 11 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
In that case I think you should have provided an clearer edit summary. I had also wondered about BLP when I first saw the picture, but thought that a 40-odd year old plate was probably no significant concern. I clearly don't agree with your other points but that I guess is life. --Mirokado (talk) 01:27, 11 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

vint cerf: the CERFSUP license plate was acquired in 1994 in Virginia and is still in use in 2011. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.54.4.44 (talk) 23:07, 23 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

father of the Internet[edit]

who is father of the internet? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.189.188.73 (talk) 17:39, 23 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What about the role of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Isn't he the founder the the WWW?203.184.41.226 (talk) 06:23, 6 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, not the Internet.
What a joke, Cerf stole Donald Davies packet switching technology which was the basis to ArpaNet, when WILL the US realize they stand on the shoulders of giants? 81.110.28.183 (talk) 11:55, 12 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, Paul Baran invented packet switching several years before Davies. Noone stole packet switching from anyone, as Davies helped over see the implementation of packet switching on the ARPANET.

Birthplace and Citizenship[edit]

Dr. Cerf's bio box indicates he was born in London, United Kingdom and that his citizenship is United Kingdom (on a side note, I don't think it would be correct to state citizenship as "United Kingdom"; if anything, his citizenship would be "British"). However, in the Life and career section, it states he was born in New Haven, CT.

What is correct here?Everiverever (talk) 16:35, 6 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]


Various reliable sources |on the internet state he was born in New Haven Connecticut. NO source was shown otherwise. I realize citizenship can be changed, but again,no source on that either,so I've reverted back to American (as it's been sourced that way . I've also placed a note on the latest reverters page. This seems to be the first place he or she's come to. No comment on whether it's an SPA, or just an individual that didn't want to register. The name of the place is....-Babylon-5-> 17:06, 6 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Father's name.[edit]

This edit changed Cerf's father's middle name from Thurston to Thruston. The one source says Thurston. I have reverted. Wwwhatsup (talk) 15:51, 13 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

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I feel like he is the inspiration for the character "The Architect" in the Matrix franchise.[edit]

Have you guys watched the matrix reload? This guys looks so much like the architect. I wonder if the character's personality comes from him. Theanonymity.de (talk) 17:24, 15 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Awards and Honors formatting?[edit]

After the Certificate of Merit award in 1996, the list of awards changes a bit abruptly from putting the year at the end to putting it at the front. It should probably be formatted consistently, but I don't know whether the most logical approach is to put years at the beginning or end of the entries. I don't see anything in the Manual of Style indicating either way.

Baneonplane (talk) 02:52, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Organizing article[edit]

It seems to me that the article grew a lot over the past years and got messy. I am going to restructure it (work in progress) on my user-subpage to offer you a well organized version. If you have advices or ideas please let me know.

(I am paid editor) Chrasjo (talk) 09:10, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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