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| A great story begins with a great failure |
James-H-Clark
Clark was suspended from high school for misbehavior,
but went on to earn a PhD in computer science — and
revolutionize computer and the Internet technology.
He is the father of computer graphics and, as co-founder
of Netscape Communications, a pioneer of Internet web
surfing. He also sparked the dot.com boom on the US stock
market during the 1990s, and is widely considered a genius.
Clark had a difficult childhood. His father was reportedly
an alcoholic and a wife abuser, and his parents divorced when he was about 14. Clark and his brother were supported
by their mother on a Meagre salary and Clark severed ties
with his father.
At high school, Clark once smuggled a skunk into a school
dance. And when an English teacher scolded him for failing
to read a poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Clark told
her to go to hell. He was suspended for setting off a smoke
bomb on the band bus.
Clark eventually joined the Navy. After nine months at sea,
he took a Mathematics test and scored the highest marks. He
returned to studying, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in Physics and a doctorate in Computer Science, and became
a university professor.
Clark’s research enabled computers to display graphics
quickly. He founded Silicon Graphics and the company
become a world leader in movie special effects, such as those
seen in Star Wars.
In 1994, after falling out with Silicon Graphics, Clark happened to e-mail Marc Andersen, a 22-year-old software
whiz who developed the Mosaic Web browser. Together, they
founded Netscape — and thus began the Internet revolution.
It's very hard to explain to people who don't program, but the object-oriented programming system made programming the Mac and iPhone so easy.
-James-H-Clark
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