ReadWriteWeb

This is the first in an occasional series on technical figures who have gone the way of the Great Auk. These are people who have contributed to the development of the Internet and Web.

Louis Moyroud

Moyroud, who died at age 96 in late June, was instrumental in the development of printing. He and his partner Rene Alphonse Higonnet developed the first photo-typesetting machine at an ITT subsidiary in Lyon, France. Their machine was a step on the journey from physical type to the type you're reading now.

Nick Givotovsky, a Connecticut based internet consultant and long time contributor to the digital identity community, died in an accident at his home on Friday at the age of 44. Givotovsky was an active member of the Data Portability Working Group, was a regular attendee of the Internet Identity Workshops and was Steward for the Identity Futures group in Identity Commons. He is recognized by both communities as a valued, respected and well liked contributor to many important efforts.

Author and consultant Doc Searls writes in a post memorializing Givotovsky that "Every encounter with Nick was engaging and mind-sharpening." London entrepreneur, Ian Henderson, offers the following quote from Givotovsky, exemplifying his contribution to the digital rights conversation.