Obit: Michael S. Hart-Project Gutenberg

Subject: RE: Obit: Michael S. Hart-Project Gutenberg
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Sep 11 - 11:08 AM

Project Gutenberg was and is a remarkable site. The work was done and continues to be done by volunteers.

"There's some sad news coming out of Illinois today, where Michael S. Hart, the e-book inventor who founded Project Gutenberg, has died at the age of 64. Hart's literary journey began in 1971, when he digitized and distributed his first text, after being inspired by a free printed copy of the Declaration of Independence he found at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. That same year, the Tacoma, Washington native founded Project Gutenberg -- an online library that aims to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks" and to "break down the bars of ignorance and illiteracy." By 1987, he'd already digitized a total of 313 books, including works from Homer, Shakespeare and the Bible, before recruiting more volunteers to help out. As of this June, Hart's pioneering library housed about 36,000 works in its collection (most of which are in the public domain), with an average of 50 new books added each week. Described by Project Gutenberg as an "ardent technologist and futurist," Hart leaves a literary legacy perhaps best summed up in his own words. "One thing about eBooks that most people haven't thought much is that eBooks are the very first thing that we're all able to have as much as we want other than air," he wrote in July. "Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job." Michael S. Hart is survived by his mother and brother."

Article by Amar Toor

Subject: RE: Obit: Michael S. Hart-Project Gutenberg
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Sep 11 - 10:41 AM

What a too soon loss to the world, but also what a legacy. Thank you, Mr. Hart and RIP.

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: Michael S. Hart-Project Gutenberg
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Sep 11 - 09:39 AM

He died too young! What an interesting life. And as someone who works in the information access world (a research library) I have pointed people at his work for years. Didn't know about the man himself, though.

Hart also predicted the enhancement of automatic translation, which would provide all of the world's literature in over a hundred languages. While this goal has not yet been reached, by the time of his death Project Gutenberg hosted eBooks in 60 different languages, and was frequently highlighted as one of the best Internet-based resources.

SRS

Subject: Obit: Michael S. Hart-Project Gutenberg
From: Amergin
Date: 07 Sep 11 - 07:00 PM

Michael S. Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg, has passed away....I am aware that there are probably quite a few here who have read books from that site...what an amazing library it is.

Michael S. Hart-Obituary