Jim Ellis (computing)

{{Short description|American computer scientist (1956–2001)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name= James T. Ellis

| honorific_suffix =

| birth_name = James Tice Ellis

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1956|5|6}}

| birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2001|6|28|1956|5|6}}

| death_place = Harmony, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| spouse = Carolyn Ellis

| children = 2

| field = {{ublist|Computer science}}

| work_institutions =

| alma_mater = Duke University

}}

James Tice Ellis (May 6, 1956{{spaced ndash}}June 28, 2001) was an American computer scientist best known as the co-creator of Usenet, along with Tom Truscott.{{cite web |title=James T. Ellis, 45, a Developer Of Internet Discussion Network |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/01/us/james-t-ellis-45-a-developer-of-internet-discussion-network.html |first=Katie |last=Hafner |work=New York Times |date=July 1, 2001}}{{cite web |title=Duke to shut Usenet server, home to the first electronic newsgroups |url=https://today.duke.edu/2010/05/usenet.html |first=Cara |last=Bonnett |publisher=Duke University |date= May 17, 2010}}

Ellis was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Henry Ellis (an auditor and teacher) and Elsa Ellis. James Ellis grew up in Orlando, Florida. Before developing Usenet, Ellis attended Duke University. After graduating, Ellis worked for the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina in Research Triangle Park, N.C. He later worked as an Internet security consultant for Sun Microsystems. He was also Manager of Technical Development at CERT. He came up with the word Usenet.

Ellis and Truscott were awarded the 1995 USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award.