The Internet Society said Wednesday that John Gage, director of Sun Microsystems' science office, will complete the late Jon Postel's term on the Net policy board.
"Jon Postel's inspiration and honest perceptions can never be replaced," said Vinton Cerf, chairman of ISOC's board. ISOC is the nonprofit umbrella organization that influences Internet policy and encompasses the Internet Engineering Task Force and the Internet Architecture Board, or IAB.
"However, we know John Gage will bring us a great deal of perspective and enthusiasm," Cerf said. "His knowledge of the Internet coupled with his communication skills makes him an excellent choice for the board" of trustees.
Postel is considered one of the Internet's founders. He served as director of the Internet Assigned Names Authority, the nonprofit body that allocates IP addresses, and he was a founding member of the IAB. Postel died in October.
Gage currently oversees Sun's relationships with scientific, technical, and governmental organizations and Sun's international public policy. He also helped start NetDay, a volunteer effort to use the resources of high-technology companies to get schools and libraries online.
He also served on scientific-advisory panels to the US Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the US National Research Council, the Academy of Sciences, and the Multimedia Super Corridor project of Malaysia.
