Building The Worldwide Telescope

This paper is talks about the critical role that Jim Gray played in the creation of the WorldWide Telescope software. Contrary to what you might think it wasn't his database brilliance that made it happen, it was his generosity in sharing credit, inspiring, nurturing and connecting people, in this case that made it possible for the pieces to come into place and make it happen. Without Jim Gray's work with Alex Szalay on Sky Server and their ongoing support and encouragement, the software that is named in their honor would not exist today.