@ Lestat.

Thank you. Just hoping to free the thread of prejudice and setting all back to giving him the benefit of doubt till more proofs of his innocence or otherwise come in.

Guys, let's put it this way. The internet has been around since at least the 70s in one form or another (Read about ARPANet here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET). During that time, wasn't Emeagwali still in Nigeria?

How could he be one of the fathers of something that was fully grown in 1989 or whenever he won this prize?

@houvest

I do not deny that Emeagwali is brilliant, my problem with him is the fact that he is being lauded for something he is not. If you checked that link I gave you, there is another Nigerian studying under that Olutokun, only wished I had the same opportunity.

hercules07:

@houvest

I do not deny that Emeagwali is brilliant, my problem with him is the fact that he is being lauded for something he is not. If you checked that link I gave you, there is another Nigerian studying under that Olutokun, only wished I had the same opportunity.

Yeah, I've read about Tunde Olukotun and he is better placed to be called the father of the Niagara processor than Emeagwali qualifies to be called the father of anything apart from his children.

All Emeagwali did was to make use of an existing internetwork infrastructure for oil reservoir simulation, he wrote no new protocol, nor did he break any new grounds, he only used what was already existent to solve a particular domain problem. The originality of his idea obviously didn't stand up to scrutiny or else he would have been awarded a patent, it is not even on record that he has a copyright to any of his Oil reservoir simulation project, it doesn't require a stretch of the imagination to suggest that others were probably working on such simulations too. If there was anything original about what he did, he would probably be earning royalty payments today.

Houvest, you should know that a claim like the one I note below is a massive stretch of the truth or a blatant untruth, even if its technically correct I'm sure its not something that can be validated. Besides, note the tactical use of the word "personal". It is a fact that the first web site to use the HTTP protocol was by Tim Berners Lee in 1990. He is no father of the internet by a long stretch. Read up on the evolution of the internet and the TCP/IP protocol and there is no mention of Emeagwali anywhere.

"I developed the first personal Web site on the NSFnet."

The nearest analogy I can use to illustrate Emeagwali claiming to be a father of the internet is to imagine one of the first people to drive a car on a road claiming to be a builder of that road.

@hercules07 your definition of who a father of internet is, is obviously different from my definition and that of Emeagwali. However, your definition of who a father of the internet is does not count here. It is Emeagwali's definition that counts since he is the one on trial. What did he mean when he claims he is a father of the internet? To me and to Emeagwali any one who has in any way contributed to the advancement of the internet is a father of the internet. The internet is not just devices connected to a network. Inside those devices there are ICs, processors. Without those devices there will be no internet. Without the proliferation of cheap computer, thanks to IBM there will be no internet no matter how nicely you define the protocol. Without GPRS and EDGE and now 3G how many of us will be using the internet today all the great men and women who worked in these technologies as far as I and Emeagwali are concerned are all fathers of the internet. Even men and women who invested their money to develop the technologies that makeup the internet are all fathers of the internet if you ask me, because they believed in what they cannot see. So, they are visionaries.

The founders of Google made it easier for us to find information on the internet; they are fathers of the internet. The founder of facebook is a father of the internet and believe me hercules07 if you can open up your definition of who a father of the internet is one day you may even be worthy to lay claim to being a father of the internet. The internet is still evolving and there is still room for more fathers and mothers. So, my friends the internet is not just protocols.

If Philip Emegwali has 3 degrees and a masters, thats good enough. No one will complain. But why should he lie to it?

For those people defending him, Integrity and a good name is better than silver and gold.

passyjango:

@hercules07 your definition of who a father of internet is, is obviously different from my definition and that of Emeagwali. However, your definition of who a father of the internet is does not count here. It is Emeagwali's definition that counts since he is the one on trial. What did he mean when he claims he is a father of the internet? To me and to Emeagwali any one who has in any way contributed to the advancement of the internet is a father of the internet. The internet is not just devices connected to a network. Inside those devices there are ICs, processors. Without those devices there will be no internet. Without the proliferation of cheap computer, thanks to IBM there will be no internet no matter how nicely you define the protocol. Without GPRS and EDGE and now 3G how many of us will be using the internet today all the great men and women who worked in these technologies as far as I and Emeagwali are concerned are all fathers of the internet. Even men and women who invested their money to develop the technologies that makeup the internet are all fathers of the internet if you ask me, because they believed in what they cannot see. So, they are visionaries.

The founders of Google made it easier for us to find information on the internet; they are fathers of the internet. The founder of facebook is a father of the internet and believe me hercules07 if you can open up your definition of who a father of the internet is one day you may even be worthy to lay claim to being a father of the internet. The internet is still evolving and there is still room for more fathers and mothers. So, my friends the internet is not just protocols.

I could not have put it any better.

vislabraye:

If Philip Emegwali has 3 degrees and a masters, thats good enough. No one will complain. But why should he lie to it?

For those people defending him, Integrity and a good name is better than silver and gold.

And has this been proved beyond a shadow of doubt or you are basing your conclusion on an internet post that has not been substantiated in any way. Patience brother till the jury comes back from their deliberations.

Lets Not Forget The Words Of B I G were he said more money more problem.

Nobody is a saint so is our brother emeagwali. he is not the first neither will he be the last. The truth is that hardly will you see a great man that does not have a past to be talked about.
or have we forgotten our own two face idibia and talks about womanising.  wole soyinka and talks about being the founding father of cultism in Nigeria, Fela Kuti and talks of reckless life  mandela and talks about racial violence and assosciation with the nbm ( confra). i can go on and on in calling names of great men  and their flaws.

its not as if i am supporting emeagwali but i have learnt that atimes we should view life from the brighter side.

You can see the life history of philip emeagwali via this link http://myinfobell.com/top_shots_emeagwali.html

And fellow Naija brothers let us join hands in promoting nigeria and nigerians because when a great man is praised for his deeds he wouldnt hesitate in doing another

@houvest and papa

Even the google guys can not and will not claim to be fathers of the internet, do you know the import of that claim? They can claim to be Kings of search (note that they are an advertising agency) not even fathers of search as somebody laid the foundation for them to build on.

So it is now a matter of semantics. Haba.

Thank God this ciricism is not coming fom the respectable members of the internationa media community or any country among the G 8 but  from a group of  people who have nothing to offer the international science community but criticism of award winners.
if Emeagwalis criticism came from US or UK , BBC,Time Magazine, Bill clinton then that would have been the real end of an audacity to dare. As it is other schorlars and inventors should learn from Emeagwali"s mistakes of not knowing some of his interviewers were going to be his worst enemies.

if emeagwali was fraud how come Gordon Bell has not disowned him  or time magazine or bbc highlighted it , but some struggling news sites like sahara  reporters and next.

I hate to say it, some of you guys don't know how to reason.

What is the matter of semantics here? What technology did Emeagwali invent that is being used? If he is/was a father of the internet, where is the fruit of his works and labors?

Any of the other "founders of the internet", you can name specifically how their technology is being used to access nairaland.com, for example.

How come we cannot say anything specific for Emeagwali? Put sentiment aside, use your brains and REASON. Thinking a little bit won't kill you.

Awards
Gordon Bell Prize, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' Computer Society, 1989;
Distinguished Scientist Award, National Society of Black Engineers, 1991;
Certificate of Recognition, Mobil Corp. and U.S. Black Engineer Magazine, 1991, 1992;
Computer Scientist of the Year, National Technical Association, 1993;
Distinguished Visitor, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society, 1993-96;
Eminent Engineer, Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society, 1994;
International Man of the Year, Minority Technology Council of Michigan, 1994;
Certificate of Appreciation Award, Science Museum of Minnesota, 1994.

do you have to be an inventor before you father the internet ?

kettykin:

do you have to be an inventor before you father the internet ?

How can you be a father without any children? Where is the fruit of his fatherhood?

some of the fathers of CDMA in telecommunication have only equations to thier name unlike comapnies like qualcom that make CDMA chips

kettykin:

some of the fathers of CDMA in telecommunication have only equations to thier name unlike comapnies like qualcom that make CDMA chips

But the key point is their algorithms have been implemented on the physical device. If you are consuming CDMA technology, then you are directly using something that was invented by Viterbi, for example.

I cannot say the same for Emeagwali. My laptop which I'm using to access nairaland, absolutely nothing in it has anything to do with Emeagwali. No part of my use of the internet can be credited to him. So how then can he be called a father of the internet?

DapoBear:

I hate to say it, some of you guys don't know how to reason.

What is the matter of semantics here? What technology did Emeagwali invent that is being used? If he is/was a father of the internet, where is the fruit of his works and labors?

Any of the other "founders of the internet", you can name specifically how their technology is being used to access nairaland.com, for example.

How come we cannot say anything specific for Emeagwali? Put sentiment aside, use your brains and REASON. Thinking a little bit won't kill you.

Great Thinker. I think you should at least go through other postings before you start belittling others' mental capacities. Insults just wont cut it. Even if you are Aristotle or Socrates, have some humility. Read at least his take on the Internet Father issue posted not long from your post. If you cant or wont, sorry I do not have to repeat issues that have been already trashed to every poster.

Thanks for the compliment but I see the reference to him as a father of the internet more as someone whose work has made a contribution to the development of the internet not necessarily an originator thereof and in that sense, I do not think you need a patent or PHD to be a contributor to the Internet's development.But your assertion that he has done nothing to warrant patents or a PHD are your opinions which many including PE do not agree. If he did not feel cheated  in the matter of the PHD why did he go to court to challenge the issue.That he lost the case does not make it a fact but knowing that the law is an a.s.s, it can be argued that he could have won under other circumstances so it remains your opinion. And  your verdict that he should not be on the stamp is a matter for the Nigerian Govt to decide when the investigation is concluded not yours or mine  as it was their decision ab initio to put him there without consulting any of us.
See his own words about the internet brouhaha.


Am I "A Father of the Internet?"



First, I demonstrated that the original blueprint for the international network only applies to a flat Earth and invented a global network that applies to a round Earth. Second, the United States government acknowledged that I used the NSFnet (precursor of the Internet) to break the barriers of space and time. The latter was hailed as an NSFnet "success story." Third, I developed the first personal Web site on the NSFnet. Fourth, I contributed to the development of parallel processing technology, which provides the horsepower that runs Web sites. Fifth, I demonstrated the power of parallel computing, a technology that is now accepted and is widely used on the Internet.



However, the most significant aspect of my contribution is that I worked alone over a period of 27 years. As a result, I have won more prizes and awards than any contemporary scientist who worked alone. As the discoverer of penicillin, Sir Alexander Flemming, wrote, "It is the lone worker who makes the first advance in a subject: The details may be worked out by a team, but the prime idea is due to the enterprise, thought and perception of an individual."



For the above reasons, I have been described as "one of the fathers of the Internet," a phrase that recognizes that many people contributed to the invention of the Internet. I agree and believe that any recognition of an individual as "A Father of the Internet," should be qualified by stating that the Internet has many fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts.

AND AGAIN

The supercomputer began as a crazy idea to tie computers together. It began as a science fiction article, written in 1922, to use 64,000 human computers to forecast the weather for the whole Earth. Ignored for 50 years, that article inspired me to design a scheme for using 64,000 electronic computers to forecast the weather for the whole Earth.

They laughed when I proposed that 64,000 computers could be tied together ,  But when I won the Gordon Bell Prize, 15 years later, for programming 64,000 processors ,  

….

Inspired by Richardson's article on 64000 human computers, I invented an international network that uses 64000 electronic computers. My network was rejected (in the 1970s) and rediscovered (in the 1980s) and called an "idea that was ahead of its time" and "a germinal seed of the Internet."

…

The seed that planted the idea of “out of many, one” computer was planted in my head when I read excerpts from a book published in 1922. In that book, Lewis Richardson, a pioneer meteorologist, proposed a computing theater with 64,000 human computers. Even Richardson considered his proposal impractical and called it a "fantasy." In 1975, I said that it could be done with 64,000 electronic computers, instead of the human computers proposed previously. My proposal was dismissed as "foolish."

@DapoBear read this qoute originally posted by another advocate of Emeagwali. There you will see why he claims to be a father of the internet. I know you may have seen it but have decided to play blind. But I just want to give you the benefit of the doubt. To you it may not be enough, but to him, me, BBC, Time, CNN, Bill Cliton, the FG?, and millions of other people that matter worldwide it is enough. It is a matter of opinion.

Am I "A Father of the Internet?"



First, I demonstrated that the original blueprint for the international network only applies to a flat Earth and invented a global network that applies to a round Earth.

This "flat Earth"/"round Earth" is mumbo jumbo. What does the flatness of the earth have to do with the algorithms you use for transporting data across a network?

Second, the United States government acknowledged that I used the NSFnet (precursor of the Internet) to break the barriers of space and time. The latter was hailed as an NSFnet "success story."

Again, deceitful mumbo jumbo. He ran some simulations on NSFs network. Fine, but that doesn't mean you had anything to do with inventing it. And how again was NSFNet the precursor to the Internet? Is he not aware of ARPANet?

Third, I developed the first personal Web site on the NSFnet.

Lol, wtf? A personal website is now the same as inventing something? BTW, notice he doesn't claim he made the first "website." Just the first personal one! 

Fourth, I contributed to the development of parallel processing technology, which provides the horsepower that runs Web sites.

What contributions did he make, specifically? In what way did he contribute?

Fifth, I demonstrated the power of parallel computing, a technology that is now accepted and is widely used on the Internet.

Is he claiming that parallel computing is his invention? Or that nobody realized its use or significance before him? Obviously neither claim would be true.

passyjango:

@DapoBear read this qoute originally posted by another advocate of Emeagwali. There you will see why he claims to be a father of the internet. I know you may have seen it but have decided to play blind. But I just want to give you the benefit of the doubt. To you it may not be enough, but to him, me, BBC, Time, CNN, Bill Cliton, the FG?, and millions of other people that matter worldwide it is enough. It is a matter of opinion.

Simply put, looks like millions of people (including Time, CNN, BBC, Bill Clinton) got 419ed. This will not be the first or the last time that it happens, unfortunately.

DapoBear:

Simply put, looks like millions of people (including Time, CNN, BBC, Bill Clinton) got 419ed. This will not be the first or the last time that it happens, unfortunately.

Your Opinion and I respect it now be humble and respect others' opinion.

houvest:

Your Opinion and I respect it now be humble and respect others' opinion.

Fair enough. Sorry for any arrogance I showed. If he were only claiming stuff about oilfield simulations or whatever, then I'd mostly keep quiet, since that is something I know nothing about.

But in this case, I know at least a little bit about how the internet and WWW came into being.

TRUCE THEN. It is no do-or die. Bear in mind though that those organizations that were '419ed' according to you also had experts who knew stuff about the WWW and Internet and yet allowed themselves to be so 419ed. BTW I assure you that if he had also or alternatively being hyped for any considerable fame in the oil industry which BTW is a huge and distinguished one, a lot of research would also have been carried out to discredit him by some.

BookFace, what do you stand to gain from all these? Honestly, what is it?

Permit me to say my 2 cent here.

Nobody likes to be called a racist - that implies its not a good thing

The truth would always be the truth

Lets all try to look at the facts

Emeagwali by genius or crook got himself recognized as a foremost scientist, Time, Bill Gate and the BBC all believed it and so does countless Nigerians and Non Nigerians. Most of us derived our celebration of this man from the accolades from the above source and a great deal of what he told us himself.

Now that there is a tussle over the correctness of these information I think rather than accusing each other lest do a little bit of investigative work:

For Emeagwali to be "a father of the internet" he has to have done something that qualifies him and not that somebody tells us he is "a father of the internet" much of the myth of this man is based on the above claim. The question now is does his winning presentation (Thats no small feat by the way) for the Gordon Bell prize rate have an impact on the internet? I dont have access to the presentation yet but I intend to request for it. Heres a simple way to reach an inference lets:,
1. get the names of undisputed fathers of the internet
2. look at their education records
3. look at exactly what they've done to qualify them as a father of the Internet
4. look at further works/applications and other presentations and publications by them
5. look for credits for their work and who is crediting them with the work
6. look for references - scientific references

Guys really if we put our effort into this rather than just arguing I think we would have done a great service to the man and the country and justice to all parties involved

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M_lwAEgUYU&feature=grec_index

This being read from a time warner book, so i guess he must have paid Time Warner to publish this also.