Douglas Parkhill
Encyclopedia
Douglas F. Parkhill is a Canadian
technologist and former research minister, best known for his pioneering work on what is now called cloud computing
, and his work on Canada's Telidon
videotex
project.
He started working at the Canadian ministry of Communications (now part of the Department of Trade and Industry) in 1969, having previously worked at the Mitre Corporation. He was responsible for many activities in communications satellites, computer communications, command and control systems and telecommunications. He was winner of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
's Outstanding Achievement award in 1982, the Conestoga shield for services to government and industry in computer communications research and development, the Touche Ross award for Telidon development.
He was an author of several publications including the 1966 book, The Challenge of the Computer Utility. In the book, Parkhill thoroughly explored many of the modern-day characteristics of cloud computing (elastic provisioning through a utility service) as well as the comparison to the electricity industry and the use of public, private, government and community forms. The book won the McKinsey Foundation award for distinguished contributions to management literature.
He worked with Dave Godfrey
, the Canadian writer and novelist on a later book Gutenberg two about the social and political meaning of computer technology.
He was in charge of research at the Federal Department of Communications at the time when the department was funding development of the Telidon
videotext system, was heavily involved in promoting the system, and had overall control of the program. In a radio broadcast in 1980, he outlined some of the potential of the system, from financial information, to theatre reservations, with the ability to pay and print out tickets from the system. He later documented the history of the Telidon project, and the history of videotex in general.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
technologist and former research minister, best known for his pioneering work on what is now called cloud computing
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
, and his work on Canada's Telidon
Telidon
Telidon was a videotex/teletext service developed by the Canadian Communications Research Centre during the late 1970s and early 1980s...
videotex
Videotex
Videotex was one of the earliest implementations of an "end-user information system". From the late 1970s to mid-1980s, it was used to deliver information to a user in computer-like format, typically to be displayed on a television.In a strict definition, videotex refers to systems that provide...
project.
He started working at the Canadian ministry of Communications (now part of the Department of Trade and Industry) in 1969, having previously worked at the Mitre Corporation. He was responsible for many activities in communications satellites, computer communications, command and control systems and telecommunications. He was winner of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Treasury Board Secretariat
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is the administrative branch of the Treasury Board of Canada. The role of the secretariat is to support the Treasury Board as a committee of ministers, and to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of a central government agency...
's Outstanding Achievement award in 1982, the Conestoga shield for services to government and industry in computer communications research and development, the Touche Ross award for Telidon development.
He was an author of several publications including the 1966 book, The Challenge of the Computer Utility. In the book, Parkhill thoroughly explored many of the modern-day characteristics of cloud computing (elastic provisioning through a utility service) as well as the comparison to the electricity industry and the use of public, private, government and community forms. The book won the McKinsey Foundation award for distinguished contributions to management literature.
He worked with Dave Godfrey
Dave Godfrey
Dave Godfrey is a Canadian writer and publisher. His novel The New Ancestors won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1970....
, the Canadian writer and novelist on a later book Gutenberg two about the social and political meaning of computer technology.
He was in charge of research at the Federal Department of Communications at the time when the department was funding development of the Telidon
Telidon
Telidon was a videotex/teletext service developed by the Canadian Communications Research Centre during the late 1970s and early 1980s...
videotext system, was heavily involved in promoting the system, and had overall control of the program. In a radio broadcast in 1980, he outlined some of the potential of the system, from financial information, to theatre reservations, with the ability to pay and print out tickets from the system. He later documented the history of the Telidon project, and the history of videotex in general.
Publications
- The Challenge of the Computer Utility, Addison-Wesley, 1966, ISBN 0201057204
- edited with Dave Godfrey, Gutenberg Two: The New Electronics and Social Change, Press Porcepic, 1979, ISBN 0888781911
- The Beginning of a Beginning. Ottawa; Department of Communications, 1987. A history of the Telidon project.