DEC's Computer Pioneer Ken Olsen dies at 84
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2011/02/08/computer_pioneer_ken_olsen_dies/
Ken Olsen, who cofounded Digital Equipment Corp. and built it
into the second-largest computer company in the nation by
creating small but powerful machines called minicomputers, died
Sunday.
- - -
Ken Olsen and DEC almost single-handedly created the minicomputer
market, with workhorses like the PDP-11/45 and 11/70 which ran so much
of the early ARPANET and without which the Internet we know quite
possibly would not exist at all. In this photo he's standing in front of
"The Mill" in Maynard, Mass., one of the most amazing technical
facilities I've ever visited. His infamous 1977 quote "There is no
reason for any individual to have a computer in his home" is typically
taken rather out of context, but it's certainly true that DEC was unable
to keep up with the changing information technology landscape. I
frequently note DEC -- along with the Bell Labs of old -- as examples of
seemingly immortal technology institutions that nonetheless faded from
view. A reminder to the Internet giants of today, perhaps.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently
doing so -- my opinions expressed here are mine alone.
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