Browsing by Subject "ADAPSO."
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Item Oral history interview with Bernard Goldstein(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Goldstein, Bernard, 1930-This oral history with software industry pioneer Bernard Goldstein documents his early education at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, his service in the U.S. Navy, and his entrepreneurial activity with Computech, United Data Centers (UDC), and National CSS. Computech, Goldstein’s first venture, was formed to solve a variety of business and scientific problems by the application of computing technology. The company processed employee payrolls and market research data, and developed applications for the Johnson Development Center and the U.S. Navy. Computech was eventually sold to the Control Data Corporation. Goldstein then went on to found United Data Centers, a national data processing chain operation. This company merged with Tymshare, a timesharing company. Goldstein then joined National CSS before it was sold to Dun & Bradstreet. The oral history describes Goldstein’s involvement with ADAPSO, the Computer Software and Services Industry Association, challenges from IBM in the marketplace for data services, and the federal government’s role in the computer industry. Also discussed is Coleman’s role in the software/services industry through co-founding Broadview, and his leadership in merger and acquisition activity during the 1980s and 1990s. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Bruce Coleman(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Coleman, Bruce T.In this oral history, software pioneer Bruce Coleman describes his early life and work as a salesman for IBM. He explains his motivation for earning an MBA at the Harvard Business School, and details his subsequent work at a number of high technology companies including integrated circuit maker Logic Electronics, Boole & Babbage, Informatics, Walker Interactive, and InSci (Information Science). Coleman describes software product development, financing, marketing, sales, and pricing at several of these companies, including Boole & Babbage, where he eventually served as CEO, and Informatics, where he assumed the responsibilities of COO. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Frank Lautenberg(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Lautenberg, Frank R.Frank Lautenberg is the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He was born in Paterson, NJ, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants, and served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He graduated from Columbia University with an Economics degree in 1949. Lautenberg helped co-found the early payroll services firm Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) and served as both Chairman and CEO. In this oral history Lautenberg refers to his roots in Paterson, which was then still heavily involved in silk manufacturing. He describes his early relationship with silk industry accountant Henry Taub, the originator of ADP (then called Automatic Payrolls) in 1949. Lautenberg remembers the decision to outsource the rendering payroll service, including the intricate financing required in recasting the direction of the company in 1952. Henry became chief planner and strategist. His younger brother Joseph became manager of operations, and Lautenberg became the marketer of service. Lautenberg describes use of Friden calculators and the Comptometer bookkeeping machine at Automatic Payrolls, as well as later punched card tabulating operations. Lautenberg explains the decision to go public in 1961 to accommodate the major payroll and human resource information needs of employers, and later expansion of company facilities and services like records, brokerage, and time-sharing. He talks about his service to ADAPSO and his Senate race. Lautenberg also deals briefly with privacy and security concerns related to automated data processing systems. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Gary Durbin(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Durbin, GaryGary Durbin is a software pioneer and entrepreneur with over thirty-five years of experience. He began his career specializing in operating systems and database systems. His first company, started in 1970, developed operating system improvements for IBM machines. That company introduced Secure, an early software security product. Secure was sold to Boole & Babbage in 1978. Durbin then founded Tesseract Corporation, a human resources software company that introduced the Time Relational Database. Tesseract was sold to Ceridian in 1993. Durbin founded Seeker Software in 1996, which was acquired by Web application company Concur Technologies in 1999. In this oral history Durbin recounts his education at the University of California at Berkeley and early Wells Fargo jobs programming the IBM 650, 1400, and 360 mainframes for online branch banking. He describes his activity in the consulting firm Cybernetic Systems Incorporated, his sole proprietorship of the Institute for Cybernetic Development, and the founding and financing of Tesseract. He also notes his role in the founding of parallel processing software firm Primrose Software and in marketing the Web application system Seeker. Durbin explains the core characteristics of good programming, software engineering, and management. He describes his work in developing network and relational database management systems, and the hegemony of the hierarchical IBM database system IMS (Information Management System). Durbin also explains the importance of integrity in a business prone to marketing vaporware, the impact of IBM's unbundling decision, and the recruiting and retention of women by software firms. He notes the role of the software industry in jobs creation and in endorsing the Black/Scholes options pricing model. Durbin also relates the importance of user groups like ADAPSO to the development of the independent software industry, including ADAPSO’s financial accounting committee and the special interest group Software Industry Association (SIA). This oral history was co-sponsored by CBI, through a National Science Foundation grant project, "Building a Future for Software History," and the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with John Keane(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Keane, John F.John F. Keane is the founder of Keane Inc. (formerly Keane Associates Inc.). Mr. Keane was educated at Harvard University, where he took an MBA in 1954; he subsequently was in the Navy and was employed by Arthur D. Little and IBM before founding Keane Associates. Mr. Keane attributes the phenomenal success of Keane Associates to the development of a systematic project management technique, later published as Productivity Management. He describes milestones in the evolution of Keane Associates, including forays into software products and integrated systems, the development of the health-care division, and company acquisitions. He concludes with some reflections on his public involvements including those with ADAPSO and Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) where he served as president. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with John Maguire(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Maguire, John N. (John Norris), 1930-John Norris Maguire is former founder and President of Software AG of North America, Inc., overseas distributor of the Adabas system. Adabas (from “adaptable database”) is a commercial relational database management system (DBMS) originally developed by Software AG in the late 1960s. The database system was first developed for IBM 360 computers. In this oral history Maguire recounts his early life and decision to go into the Navy as an electrician's apprentice. He then discusses his education in electrical engineering at the University of Rhode Island and in business at MIT's Sloan School--where he studied industrial dynamics with Jay Forrester. Upon graduation Maguire joined Lockheed Missiles and Space Company where he worked on software simulation problems between 1960 and 1966. He recounts his service at CACI on software products including Quick Query, and his decision to found Software AG of North America in 1972. The bulk of the interview relates the marketing of Adabas, sales strategies against IBM, pricing decisions, cash flow issues related to the business, and the role of ADAPSO. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Joseph Piscopo(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Piscopo, Joseph A.After attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Joseph A. Piscopo founded Pansophic Systems in 1969 and led it until his retirement in 1987. Pansophic grew rapidly during the 1970s, as its Panvalet source code management system and Easytrieve report generation software ranked among the industry's most successful products. Piscopo discusses his background as a data processing manager, the founding of Pansophic, the development of Panvalet and the acquisition of Easytrieve. Considerable attention is paid to the strategic elements of Pansophic's growth: customer relations, international expansion, product development, staffing, market position, and stock market offerings. At the conclusion of the interview, Piscopo explains the circumstances behind the firm's stumble in the late 1980s and acquisition by Computer Associates in 1991. He also deals briefly with his subsequent career as an "angel" investor in technology firms. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Lawrence Schoenberg(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Schoenberg, Lawrence J.In this oral history Lawrence J. Schoenberg describes his personal and educational history and his subsequent career in the U.S. software industry. Following service in the U.S. Signal Corps, he held various positions with IBM, Litton Industries, CSC and Automation Sciences. With others he formed a software enterprise AGS Computers Inc. in 1967, serving as CEO until 1991. In 1988 AGS Computers was partitioned into two segments—software products and microcomputers—which were later sold to NYNEX and Merisel, respectively. Toward the end of the interview, Mr. Schoenberg describes his role in ADAPSO and its successor ITAA, of which he served as Chairman of the Board in 1982, and at various times president of the Software Products, Professional Services, and Systems Integration Divisions. He was very active in working with the Financial Ac-counting Standards Board (FASB) and the American Institute of Certified Public Ac-countants (AICPA) on behalf of ADAPSO. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Lawrence Welke(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Welke, LawrenceLawrence Welke played a critical role in helping to define and advance the early software industry through publishing ICP (International Computer Programs) Quarterly, a subscription-driven catalog of software products that soon evolved into an advertising-driven software directory. Welke discusses his early work at IBM and in the banking industry, and how these experiences led him to form ICP. He reflects on advertising and marketing in the early software services and products industries, and the evolution of these trades in the mini and microcomputing eras. He also details the growth of ADAPSO and its significance to the software industry’s development. He concludes with remarks on societal impacts and the future potential of computing technology. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Lee Keet(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Keet, Ernest E.In this oral history software entrepreneur Ernest E. (Lee) Keet chronicles his education in programming and engineering at Cornell University, his early work as a salesperson and systems engineer for IBM in White Plains, NY, and his success as founder and CEO of Turnkey Systems, Inc. (TSI). Keet characterizes the heavy "craft" versus the "art" components of computer programming; he discusses the introduction of TSI’s Task/Master, the first commercial telecommunications monitor; and his entrepreneurial efforts in Europe. Keet also delineates his role as a member of the ADAPSO software protection committee, his founding of venture capital firm Vanguard Atlantic in 1984, and his service as a board member for the Keet Foundation, dedicated to the support of people and organizations in the Adirondacks of New York. Other topics include software product pricing, marketing, and women in the software industry as well as competitive relations with IBM. He describes his work at Dun & Bradstreet (D & B) in establishing and managing their software division and his management buyout of parts of this operation. This oral history was co-sponsored by CBI, through a National Science Foundation grant project, "Building a Future for Software History," and the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Luanne Johnson(Charles Babbage Institute, 2008-08-12) Johnson, LuanneThis interview addresses the work of software products industry pioneer/entrepreneur Luanne Johnson. She discusses her early career prior to programming, her training and first jobs in the programming field, work with Comm-Sci prior to buying out the founder, her launch of early software products firm (Argonaut Information Systems), the successes and challenges with this enterprise, and her leadership within the trade association, ADAPSO (and ITAA).Item Oral history interview with Luanne Johnson(Charles Babbage Institute, 2004-05-07) Johnson, LuanneLuanne Johnson, one of the early women entrepreneurs in the computer software industry, describes how she became a programmer and then how she started Argonaut Information Systems, a provider of packaged accounting software products. She discusses how she simplified the structure and programming of the products for easy maintenance and portability and focused on of-the-shelf sales to medium-sized companies. She talks about her many years as an active participant in ADAPSO and then in leading the ADAPSO Foundation and becoming the President of ADAPSO which was renamed as the Information Technology Association of America. She concludes with stories about her consulting career after leaving ADAPSO.Item Oral history interview with Martin Goetz(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Goetz, Martin A., 1930-Martin A. Goetz, a software industry pioneer, was a founder and past president of Applied Data Research (ADR). He was awarded the first software patent in 1968 for his sorting system program and was a longtime spokesperson for protecting software as intellectual property. In this interview Goetz discusses aspects of his early career as a programmer at Remington Rand, his founding of ADR, his management of ADR’s Software Division, ADR’s competition and litigation against IBM, IBM’s unbundling, his work with ADAPSO, and his leadership on the issue of the intellectual protection of software. He concludes with some remarks on the relationship between anti-trust issues with IBM in 1960s and 1970s, and the Justice Department’s case against Microsoft this past decade. This oral history was co-sponsored by CBI, through a National Science Foundation grant project, "Building a Future for Software History," and the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Oscar Schachter(Charles Babbage Institute, 2004-05-07) Schachter, OscarAfter getting his law degree from Harvard, Oscar Schachter worked on international licensing agreements for a small law firm before going to work for Charles Lecht, the founder of ACT, an early professional services firm. Oscar describes Lecht’s flamboyant personality and some of the unusual projects which ACT performed. ACT had an extensive logistics contract in Iran and Oscar tells about running this project in the Middle East. He talks about ACT’s attempts to diversify and then its gradual business decline. He describes running Creative Socio-Medics and then returning to the general practice of law. Finally, he discusses his extensive activities within ADAPSO.Item Oral history interview with Richard Crandall(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Crandall, Richard L., 1943-A pioneer in timesharing, Richard Crandall, a University of Michigan graduate, formed Comshare and was its CEO for over 25 years. He describes the evolution of Comshare from its focus on interactive use of computers, through its transition to marketing software products, and to its eventual concentration on executive use of personal computers for business management information and decision support systems. He was Chairman of ADAPSO and its leader in strategic planning as well as an active participant in many committees including the Industry Image Committee. He organized and has been the coordinator of a software company CEO Roundtable since 1994. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Robert E. Weissman(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-05-03) Weissman, Robert E., 1940-; Ceruzzi, PaulRobert Weissman attended the University of Connecticut and received his Bachelor’s degree from Babson College. After various positions unrelated to the computer business, he was appointed CEO of National CSS during the 1970s when the company founders brought him in as a professional business manager. He describes how National CSS was founded and evolved from a general-purpose timesharing company using VP/CSS to a specialty processing services firm using RAMIS and Nomad to produce and run departmental applications. After selling National CSS to Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), he remained with D&B and later, as its CEO, redirected its strategy to being database focused rather than data processing oriented. He was Chairman of ADAPSO and describes its structure and values. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).Item Oral history interview with Sam Wyly(Charles Babbage Institute, 2002-12-06) Wyly, SamWyly begins by recounting his childhood, and education prior to going to work for IBM’s Service Bureau Corporation, and then joining Honeywell as an area sales manager. He discusses how he left Honeywell to form University Computer Corporation (UCC), a firm that sold computer time, but transitioned into a software services business. Wyly explains his growing focus on computing and telecommunications, his formation of Datran, and his unsuccessful attempt to acquire Western Union. Much of the interview focuses on ongoing developments at UCC, the eventual sale of this firm to Computer Associates, his formation of Sterling Software, its acquisition of Informatics, the sale of Sterling, and his ideas on the future of information technology. Throughout Wyly’s discussion of UCC and Sterling, he elucidates upon his leadership philosophy, and the strategic, technical, operational, and financial management of these firms. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).