Computer Industry Pioneer Ken Olsen dies at age 84
Kenneth Olsen, co-founder of Digital Equipment Corp., died on Sunday aged 84.
His death announced by Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., where he was a trustee and benefactor. The college did not release a cause of death.
Olsen launched DEC which is considered an icon in technology circles in 1957. They helped revolutionize the way people interact with computers.
Digital played a key role in the 60′s and 70′s in creating the market for “minicomputers.” These were powerful, refrigerator-sized machines that appealed to scientists, engineers and the like who did not need the bigger, multimillion-dollar mainframes that were then used by big corporations. In the 80s, when DEC was at it’s peak it was the second-largest computer manufacturer behind International Business Machines Corp.
“In the heady days of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, it’s too easy to forget that it was Ken Olsen’s vision of interactivity that took computing away from the centralized mainframe and into the hands of the people,” said Gordon Bell. Bell joined DEC in 1960 and for more than 20 years headed the company’s engineering operations.
DEC helped bring computers out from glass-enclosed rooms, where they were operated by men in white lab coats, and made them accessible to small and medium-sized operations and even individual users.
“The computers we built were of a cost and size that they brought computing down a level,” said Bell, now a principal researcher in Microsoft Corp.’s Silicon Valley Research Group.
In 1986, Fortune Magazine called Olsen “America’s most successful entrepreneur.”
A memorial service at Gordon College is set for May 14.
Related Blogs
- Computer Pioneer Ken Olsen Dies at Age 84 – ABC News | Gadgetyz.com
- It Feels So Good | Robert Ringer's Blog
- Ken Olsen
- Ken Olsen Founder of DEC
- Buy Tramadol Without Prescription » remounting the big staghorn
- Earth Seeker Studio Working On NGP Title // Siliconera
- Computer pioneer Ken Olsen dies at age 84 (AP) | Stock Market News …
- Drop Down Panel href inside content box – oBlurb
- LoveWareLiveWare <a href="http://lovewareliveware.org/wordpress/wp …
- Ken Olsen, Computer Pioneer Dies at Age 84 | Hots Live
- The team wales vs england a href=”http://www.twitter.com/haz1133″>
- Survey Of UK Data Forecasts: Dec Trade, Industrial Production …
- Rihanna outraged over title edit | Finance News
- ISRO SCANDAL <a href='http://www.blogsurfer.us/ « Bold Unfettered …
- DEC's Ken Olsen: 1926-2011 – Apple 2.0 – Fortune Tech
- Mainstream Media Lies about Vitamin D Deficiency and Parkinson's …
- Cuomo's Choice For DEC Sticks To Official Line On Gas Drilling …
- UK Changes The Title Of RiRi's S&M Single To Come On …
- Computer Pioneer Ken Olsen Dies at Age 84 | News Digest
- Rihanna's “S&M” Title Changed To “Come On” In UK – Neon Limelight …
Related posts:
Facebook
Twitter