Slides by Dr. Lawrence G. Roberts used at SIGCOMM'99.
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L. Kleinrock's Communication Nets Cover The First Theory of Packet Networks - 1959-1964
Packet switching was new and radical in the 1960's. In order to plan to spend millions of dollars and stake my reputation, I needed to understand that it would work. Without Kleinrock's work of Networks and Queuing Theory, I cold never have taken such a radical step. All the communications community argued that it couldn't work. This book was critical to my standing up to them and betting that it would work.

Larry Roberts