JON POSTEL

As top administrator at the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), in Los Angeles, Jon worked hard to find a solution to the question of who should control the electronic addresses on which the Internet depends. Many people used the words "IANA" and "Postel" interchangeably. One of his main functions at IANA was the documenting and assigning of Internet domain names (such as .com, .gov and .edu). Postel was also the official RFC (Requests for Comments) editor. He patiently edited thousands of these technical documents that set the standards for the Internet. Without that structure, the Internet surely would not have worked as well as it does or grown as fast as it has. He was also the final arbiter of technical matters when consensus could not be reached. That fact alone placed Postel in a position of power. Postel died in October 1998.