What Is Paul Baran?

Paul Baran, the creator of the modern computer network and one of the Internet's founding fathers, has been called "a man who could have invented the wheel." For those who don't know, Paul Baran was an engineer who spent his life working on systems that authorize computers to communicate with each other across large distances. He eventually developed a packet-switched computer networking system, which we now use as the foundation for our modern Internet. He wanted more than inventing that technology. He wanted it to be more than another part of the giant machine. That's why He envisaged an entirely self-sufficient and independent network that would continue operating even if parts were disconnected or shut down. This idea became known as distributed networks, which are now used in places where we need them to keep running even if something goes wrong (like hospitals). As of this concept and his many other contributions to computing, Paul Baran is considered one of the founders of our modern Internet. Paul Baran was born in Grodno, Poland (now part of Belarus), in 1926. he and his family immigrated to the United States, where he studied at Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University). In 1949, he earned his electrical engineering degree and joined the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. He was part of the team that created the UNIVAC, an early computer that utilized vacuum tubes. While at Eckert-Mauchly, Paul Baran helped develop a system for transmitting data over telephone lines called SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), which became one of the first digital switching systems. He also developed an early version of packet switching while at Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles, where he worked on radar data processing systems. In 1959, Paul Baran returned to school and obtained his master's degree in engineering from UCLA. During this time, he also developed a concept for connecting computers through a network called "packet switching," which led to his invention of ARPANET, the predecessor to today's Internet!