Chip Morningstar

Chip Morningstar is an American software architect, mainly for online entertainment and communication.

Morningstar held many jobs throughout his career in the research and development of technology and programs. Most notably was Morningstar's role as project leader for Lucasfilm's Habitat, the first large-scale virtual multiuser environment. and pre-Internet work in online information marketplaces.

Early life and education Morningstar graduated from University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering in 1981. While at the University of Michigan he performed research in the Space Physics Research Laboratory, where he wrote device drivers and CAD software for electronic circuitry.

Chip Morningstar started his career as a research assistant at the University of Michigan and as an independent computer consultant. His original major was Aerospace at the University of Michigan. After his summer job in 1977 where he was surrounded by up to date computer technology, he changed his major to computer engineering. In 1979, he took a job at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) as a research engineer. While at ERIM he developed image processing software, languages and tools for the Cytocomputer. Morningstar also co-invented the Leonard-Morningstar image filter algorithm. the first distributed hypertext system (founded in 1960). Later, from 1984 to 1992, he worked at Lucasfilm, Ltd. as a designer and programmer, as well as cyberspace consultant. While at Lucasfilm, Morningstar held the position of Project Leader for Habitat, an early graphical online multiplayer environment, released in 1986. Morningstar oversaw all development staff, as well as writing substantial portions of the server system himself. the term referring to a deity's Earthly incarnation in Hindu belief. Morningstar also worked on the SCUMM game engine, used in Maniac Mansion (1987) and Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988).

Presenting at the Second International Conference on Cyberspace in 1991, Morningstar and Randy Farmer found themselves bemused by the seemingly impenetrable postmodern "lit crit" of some academic speakers. They revised their paper, "Cyberspace Colonies", to feature a parody of this phraseology, and presented it on the second day of the conference. Morningstar subsequently published an essay on the topic, "How to Deconstruct Almost Anything".

Morningstar was chief architect at American Information Exchange Corporation, (with Randy Farmer and Douglas Crockford), which acquired The Palace, From 2003 to 2005, he worked at Avistar Communications as principal architect for a videoconferencing system. as well as a member of Yahoo!'s Social Media advisory program. from 2009 to 2011. he worked as an architect at PayPal and served as the company's representative to the Ecma TC39 committee, the international JavaScript standards body. In January 2020, he joined Agoric.

Honors and recognitions In March 2001, Morningstar and his colleague Randy Farmer were awarded the First Penguin Award by the International Game Developers Association for their work on Lucasfilm's Habitat. This game contributed to the evolution of what is now known as massively multiplayer games.