RIP: Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg

[thewayne]

He effectively invented the ebook. In 1971. WOW. He had access to the computers at University of Urbanna-Champaign (his parents were Profs) and was given a free printed copy of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July typed the whole thing in to the computers to share with people.

Thus it began.

I read a lot from Project Gutenberg, it's pretty much my main source for things like Shakespeare, Clemons, etc. I'm sorry to see him go, but very glad for what he gave us while he was here.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Michael_S._Hart

http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Michael-Hart-founder-of-Project-Gutenberg-has-died-1339145.html

http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/09/08/0210256/Michael-Hart-Inventor-of-the-E-book-Dead-At-64

Comments

[silveradept]

He had a brilliant idea. It's too bad that the copyright laws are so strangling that we couldn't add more to this archives in his lifetime.