Who is Radia Perlman and Why Do You Care?
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Written By Reprise Media | May 8, 2006 | Share This
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Software designer, networking guru and accomplished author, Radia Perlman has been called “The Mother of the Internet” by some for her contributions to spanning tree protocol, a technology key to the development of network bridges (the glue that holds the Internet together).
Perlman now works for Sun Microsystems and holds close to 40 different patents in areas such as “defferrable processing option for fast path forwarding” and “secure ephemeral decryptability” (see a complete list here).
Perlman recently gave a great interview to Bob Brown of Network World in which she reflects on the current state of networking and security, including her thoughts on how those subjects are being taught in schools.
There’s also that whole “Gee, you’re a female and you’re an engineer” angle which the reporter could’t help but bring into play. Perlman responds with good humor:
“I cringe when people emphasize my gender, because it’s really a very small part of my life, especially my professional life. Recently a recruiter for a company sent me e-mail saying ‘We are particularly interested in you as a female thought leader.’ I didn’t reply, because I wasn’t interested in a job, but I fantasized replying: ‘Thank you for your interest. Although my credentials as a thought leader are impeccable, I must warn you that I am not that qualified as a female. I can’t walk in heels, I have no clothing sense, and I’m not particularly decorative. What aspects of being female are important for this position?’”
Read the complete interview here and then get more Perlman goodness in this Wikipedia article.
Topics: Technology |