John Shoch
Encyclopedia
John F. Shoch is an American
computer scientist
and venture capitalist who made significant contributions to the development of computer networking while at Xerox PARC
, in particular to the development of the PARC Universal Protocol (PUP), an important predecessor of TCP/IP.
His contributions were significant enough to warrant including his name on the memorial plaque at Stanford University
commemorating the "Birth of the Internet
."
in political science
(1971); he later went on to earn an M.S.
(1977) and a Ph.D.
(1979) in Computer Science from Stanford as well. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "Design and Performance of Local Computer Networks".
He joined Xerox
in 1971, working at PARC, where his research interests included internetwork protocol
s, computer local area network
s (in particular the Ethernet
, which he helped develop), packet radio
, programming language
s, and various other aspects of distributed systems. His best-known work from that period, after the Ethernet and PUP, is on network worms
; although the most famous incident involves one that ran out of control, they were actually early experiments in distributed computing over a network of loosely-coupled machines.
In 1980, he became the assistant to the CEO
of Xerox and director of the Corporate Policy Committee. In 1982, he moved on to became president of Xerox's Office Systems Division (which developed network-based office systems derived from research performed at PARC).
He left Xerox to become a venture capitalist with Asset Management Associates in 1985, and then became a founding general partner at Alloy Ventures
in 1996.
He has also taught at Stanford University, is a member of the ACM
and the IEEE
, and serves as a trustee for the Computer History Museum
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and venture capitalist who made significant contributions to the development of computer networking while at Xerox PARC
Xerox PARC
PARC , formerly Xerox PARC, is a research and co-development company in Palo Alto, California, with a distinguished reputation for its contributions to information technology and hardware systems....
, in particular to the development of the PARC Universal Protocol (PUP), an important predecessor of TCP/IP.
His contributions were significant enough to warrant including his name on the memorial plaque at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
commemorating the "Birth of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
."
Career
Shoch attended Stanford, where he earned a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
(1971); he later went on to earn an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
(1977) and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(1979) in Computer Science from Stanford as well. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "Design and Performance of Local Computer Networks".
He joined Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
in 1971, working at PARC, where his research interests included internetwork protocol
Internetwork protocol
In networking, a communications protocol or network protocol is the specification of a set of rules for a particular type of communication....
s, computer local area network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
s (in particular the Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, which he helped develop), packet radio
Packet radio
Packet radio is a form of packet switching technology used to transmit digital data via radio or wireless communications links. It uses the same concepts of data transmission via Datagram that are fundamental to communications via the Internet, as opposed to the older techniques used by dedicated...
, programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s, and various other aspects of distributed systems. His best-known work from that period, after the Ethernet and PUP, is on network worms
Computer worm
A computer worm is a self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach...
; although the most famous incident involves one that ran out of control, they were actually early experiments in distributed computing over a network of loosely-coupled machines.
In 1980, he became the assistant to the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Xerox and director of the Corporate Policy Committee. In 1982, he moved on to became president of Xerox's Office Systems Division (which developed network-based office systems derived from research performed at PARC).
He left Xerox to become a venture capitalist with Asset Management Associates in 1985, and then became a founding general partner at Alloy Ventures
Alloy Ventures
Alloy Ventures is a private equity firm focusing on early-stage venture capital investments in Life Sciences, Information Technology and Cleantech companies...
in 1996.
He has also taught at Stanford University, is a member of the ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
and the IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
, and serves as a trustee for the Computer History Museum
Computer History Museum
The Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...
.
Publications
- David R. Boggs, John F. Shoch, Edward A. Taft, Robert M. Metcalfe, "Pup: An Internetwork Architecture", (IEEE Transactions on CommunicationsIEEE Transactions on Communications-External links:* *...
, COM-28(4):612-624, April, 1980) - John Shoch, "A note on Inter-Network Naming, Addressing, and Routing", IENInternet Experiment NoteAn Internet Experiment Note is a sequentially numbered document in a series of technical publications issued by the participants of the early development work groups that created the precursors of the modern Internet....
-19, 1978 - John Shoch, Jon Hupp, "The 'Worm' Programs - Early Experience with a Distributed Computation", Communications of the ACMCommunications of the ACMCommunications of the ACM is the flagship monthly journal of the Association for Computing Machinery . First published in 1957, CACM is sent to all ACM members, currently numbering about 80,000. The articles are intended for readers with backgrounds in all areas of computer science and information...
, March 1982, Volume 25 Number 3, pp. 172-180
Further reading
- Michael A. Hiltzik, Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age (HarperBusiness, New York, 1999) pp. 289-299 covers Shoch, and the worm that ran out of control