RIP, Internet’s Time Lord

I want to take a moment and say a silent prayer for David Mills, the creator of Network Time Protocol (NTP), which is fundamental to the functioning of networks. Mills, nicknamed the Internet’s Time Lord by his peers, passed away on January 17 at the age of 85. His contributions to the development and evolution of the Internet are numerous and far-reaching. We are quietly losing a generation that has helped build the network we often take for granted. To understand Mills’ role and the importance of NTP, I urge you to read this beautiful article The New Yorker published about Internet Time and Mills’ role.