Bert Sutherland

Article summary

William Robert Sutherland (May 10, 1936 – February 18, 2020) was an American computer scientist who was the longtime manager of three prominent research laboratories, including Sun Microsystems Laboratories (1992–1998), the Systems Science Laboratory at Xerox PARC (1975–1981), and the Computer Science Division of Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc. which helped develop the ARPANET. In these roles, Sutherland participated in creating the personal computer, the technology of advanced microprocessors, two programming languages (Smalltalk, Java), and the Internet. Unlike traditional corporate research managers, Sutherland added individuals from fields like psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology to enhance the work of his technology staff. He also directed his scientists to take their research, like the Xerox Alto "personal" computer, outside of the laboratory to allow people to use it in a corporate setting and to observe their interaction with it. In addition, Sutherland fostered a collaboration between California Institute of Technology researchers developing methods of very-large-scale integration (VLSI) for integrated circuits, namely Ivan Sutherland (Bert's brother) and Carver Mead, and with PARC staff member Lynn Conway.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1936-05-10 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 2020-02-18 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1936-05-10". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "2020-02-18". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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