CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
In 1972, at the University of California at Irvine, Farber built one of the first computer operating systems that worked in a "distributed environment," meaning people could tap widely scattered computers. Those attributes foreshadowed Microsoft's Window's operating system, particularly after Gates & Co. made an Internet browser part of the product. Farber has become an outspoken advocate of free speech on the Net and serves on the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a grassroots lobby for freedom of expression and privacy on the Net. Wired magazine dubbed him the "Paul Revere of the Internet." Forty-four years ago, at age 20, Farber spent the summer programming one of the first computers built from transistors for the U.S. Navy. During 11 years at Bell Labs, he also helped design the first computer-operated telephone switching system. And he worked at Rand Corp. from 1966 to 1968 on military communications projects for the U.S. Defense Dept.

EXPECTED TO TESTIFY:
The Justice Dept. is likely to tap Farber's expertise in software design, particularly his understanding of distributed operating systems, which allow people to use computers over networks like the Internet. Justice will probably use Farber to probe Microsoft's claims that incorporating its Internet Explorer Web browser into the Windows operating system is a natural evolution of Windows, which built its dominant market share as an operating system for desktop computers, not in distributed computer environments like the Internet. Justice could also use Farber to examine whether the latest version of Windows is severely impaired if the Internet browser is turned off or removed, as Microsoft has claimed.