Browsing by Subject "Computer software -- Development."
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Item Orah history interview with Mike Maples(Charles Babbage Institute, 2004-05-07) Maples, MikeAfter describing his substantial career at IBM where he was involved in display products and then with PCs, Mike Maples talks about joining Microsoft and managing its applications products. He discusses in detail his management philosophy at Microsoft and contrasts it with the IBM approach. He covers Microsoft’s successful recruiting practices and how product decisions were made. Maples also describes how development processes evolved and how Microsoft Office was designed and built. The selection of platform focus and decisions on the release of application program interface information are explained. Finally, he details why he left Microsoft and how he did so in a planned and structured fashion.Item Oral history interview with Dale Eugene LaFrenz(Charles Babbage Institute, 1995-04-13) LaFrenz, Dale EugeneAfter briefly discussing his educational background, he relates his initial exposure with computing in the classroom while teaching at the University of Minnesota high school. He discusses their use of early BASIC through telecommunications to Dartmouth and the spread of computing use to local schools. LaFrenz recounts the formation of TIES, Total Information for Educational Systems, and his move to Honeywell to assist them in developing instructional time-sharing. The bulk of the interview concerns his role in the creation of Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC), MECC's early provision of instructional and administrative computing to Minnesota school districts, and the evolution into an educational software developer and supplier.Item Oral history interview with Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston(Charles Babbage Institute, 2004-05-07) Bricklin, Dan; Frankston, BobDan Bricklin and Bob Frankston discuss the creation of VisiCalc, the pioneering spreadsheet application. Bricklin and Frankston begin by discussing their educational backgrounds and experiences in computing, especially with MIT’s Multics system. Bricklin then worked for DEC on typesetting and word-processing computers and, after a short time with a small start-up company, went to Harvard Business School. After MIT Frankston worked for White Weld and Interactive Data. The interview examines many of the technical, design, and programming choices in creating VisiCalc as well as interactions with Dan Fylstra and several business advisors. Bricklin comments on entries from his dated notebooks about these interactions. The interview reviews the incorporation of Software Arts in 1979, then describes early marketing of VisiCalc and the value of product evangelizing. There is discussion of rising competition from Mitch Kapor’s 1-2-3 and the steps taken by Fylstra’s software publishing company Personal Software (later VisiCorp). Part II of the interview begins with Bricklin and Frankston’s use of a Prime minicomputer to compile VisiCalc’s code for the Apple II computer. There is discussion of connections to Apple Computer and DEC, as well as publicity at the West Coast Computer Faire. The two evaluate the Fylstra essay, reviewing the naming of VisiCalc and discussing the division of labor between software developers and Fylstra as a software publisher. They describe the porting of code for versions of VisiCalc for other computers. Talks concerning a possible merger between Personal Software and Software Arts broke down, and instead there was a lawsuit between the companies. Software Arts developed a new product called TK!Solver and became a Macintosh developer. They evaluate the early spreadsheet products, including Kapor’s 1-2-3, Context MBA, Multiplan, and Excel as well as VisiCalc for the IBM PC. There is discussion of the Xerox PARC Alto and Macintosh. The interview was conducted in two parts, first with Martin Campbell-Kelly and the second with Paul Ceruzzi. There are references to an essay prepared by Dan Fylstra, circulated privately at the 2004 meeting and subsequently posted on the web (see “The Creation and Destruction of VisiCalc” in footnote).Item Oral history interview with David L. Schleicher(Charles Babbage Institute, 2006-01-24) Schleicher, David L.David Schleicher begins with a description of his background and education at Mankato State University (Minnesota), and provides details of his first professional job. He describes his early tasks at IBM, his move to IBM Rochester, and the management structure of which he was a part. Among the technical projects he discusses are the Fort Knox project, the System/38 computer system, the Silverlake project, and the various aspects of AS/400 development, including RISC processing and the AS/400. He describes programming at IBM Rochester over many years, including support software for manufacturing, integrated data bases on the System/38 and the AS/400, microcoding, and the Rochester Programming Center. Concerning management, he discusses the management styles of Tom Furey and Glenn Henry, and in a broader context, compares evaluation of personnel by managers at Bell Laboratories and IBM. There is some discussion of the patenting process at IBM Rochester. He ends by describing his role in the coordination of programming in IBM, his move to Austin, Texas, and back to Rochester, and his work on OS/2.Item Oral history interview with Dick Hedger(Charles Babbage Institute, 2001-05-17) Hedger, DickRichard Hedger begins the interview describing his education in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota. Following graduation he accepted a position at IBM Rochester in the optical character recognition group. He then discusses his shift to software development. Eventually he joined the Service and Support group developing application software supporting facilities infrastructures for the IBM System/3, and System/360. In various places in the interview, he describes some of the programming techniques in vogue while he was at IBM. He discusses his work in software for the System/32, System/38, and client server applications (attaching PCs to the AS/400). He talks about standards certification, e.g., ISO 9000. IBM people he discusses include Glenn Henry, Watts Humphrey, Ben Persons, and David Schleicher.Item Oral history interview with Donald E. Knuth(Charles Babbage Institute, 2001-11-08) Knuth, Donald Ervin, 1938-Donald E. Knuth is Professor Emeritus of The Art of Computer Programming at Stanford University. In this oral history, Knuth ranges over a number of subjects in software development including software patenting, alphametics, structural programming, and collaboration. The oral history includes material on the writing of The Art of Computer Programming as well as his early education and Lutheran heritage.Item Oral history interview with Donald L. Bitzer(Charles Babbage Institute, 1988-02-19) Bitzer, Donald LesterBitzer discusses his relationship with Control Data Corporation (CDC) during the development of PLATO, a computer-assisted instruction system. He describes the interest in PLATO of Harold Brooks, a CDC salesman and his help in procuring a 1604 computer for Bitzer's use. Bitzer recalls the commercialization of PLATO by CDC and his disagreements with CDC over marketing strategy and the creation of courseware for PLATO.Item Oral history interview with John Cullinane(Charles Babbage Institute, 2003-07-29) Cullinane, John J.Software products industry pioneer John Cullinane begins by discussing his education and his first jobs in computer operations and programming at Arthur D. Little, C-E-I-R, and Philip Hankins & Company. He relates how these experiences led him to form a software products firm, Cullinane Corporation, and raise venture capital. He discusses the firm's development and marketing of a number of new software products, including Culprit, Library Update System, EDP Auditor, and IDMS, and IDMSDC, and relates how the Cullinane Corporation transitioned from selling individual report generator programs to suites of data processing systems that included database software and other applications. Much of the interview focuses on the firm's evolving management strategy that led to its long-term financial success. Cullinane also discusses some problems occurred after he left the active management of the company, the sale of Cullinet (the firm's new name) to Computer Associates, and his subsequent business and philanthropic activities.Item Oral history interview with Jonathan Sachs(Charles Babbage Institute, 2004-05-07) Sachs, JonathanJonathan Sachs describes his personal and educational background and the various jobs he held at MIT, Data General and Concentric Data Systems. He tells how he started developing spreadsheet programs and how he met and started working for Mitch Kapor. He discusses the development of Lotus 1-2-3 and his role in Lotus Development. Finally, he describes the reasons he left Lotus and some of his activities since then.Item Oral history interview with Kenneth W. Kolence(Charles Babbage Institute, 2001-10-03) Kolence, Kenneth W.Software industry pioneer Kenneth W. Kolence begins by discussing his time as maintenance and operations head on the UNIVAC for the Navy; his work setting up the operations organization and scheduling procedures for the engineering programming efforts at RCA; his tenure at North American Aviation developing process design and instrumentation time; and his joining Control Data Corporation to work on integrated management and design processes, SW product concepts, and performance measurement tool prototyping. Much of the interview concentrates on Kolence’s co-founding of K & K Associates, which was soon renamed Boole & Babbage, the first software company in Silicon Valley. Other topics include Boole & Babbage’s competition with IBM, and the founding 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference.Item Oral history interview with Margaret Loftus(Charles Babbage Institute, 1995-03) Loftus, MargaretAfter briefly describing her educational background, Loftus discusses her work software at Control Data Corporation in both their Palo Alto, California and Arden Hills, Minnesota facilities. She describes her move from applications software to operating systems and recalls the differences in the management style and climate for women in Palo Alto and Arden Hills. Loftus discusses her advancement at Control Data and her decision to join Cray Research after returning from a position in Australia. She describes the difficulty of developing software with the prevalent anti-software attitude and the challenges associate with assembling a software staff. Loftus concludes the interview with a description of Loftus Brown-Wescott and this firm's involvement with local start up high technology firms.Item Oral history interview with Ralph E. Griswold and Madge T. Griswold(Charles Babbage Institute, 1990-07-25) Griswold, Ralph E., 1934-; Griswold, Madge T., 1941-Ralph and Madge Griswold recall the development of the Icon programming language. Ralph Griswold begins the interview with a description of the evolution of Icon from SNOBOL4 during his work at Bell Laboratories in the early 1960s. In this context he describes the difficulties of developing software in a corporate environment. Most of the interview concentrates on the development of Icon after Griswold took a faculty position at the University of Arizona. The Griswolds describe the creation of the Icon Project, the project's support from the National Science Foundation, the importance of the project in graduate education in computer science and the contributions of graduate students to the language's development. Also discussed is the dissemination of information regarding Icon through the Icon Analyst and the project's interaction with the commercial software industry through two small software firms, Catspaw and The Bright Forest Company.Item Oral history interview with Richard A. Zemlin(Charles Babbage Institute, 1983-06-21) Zemlin, Richard A.Zemlin outlines the history of the development of software products at Control Data Corporation.Item Oral history interview with Richard A. Zemlin(Charles Babbage Institute, 1988-05-16) Zemlin, Richard A.Zemlin worked for several computer firms before joining Control Data (CDC) to develop software for the CDC 1604. He discusses the establishment of a software group and the simultaneous development of a service bureau in the San Francisco Bay area. He mentions the software group under Seymour Cray that developed the FORTRAN compiler for the 1604 and the group built up by Richard Gunderson. Software development at CDC was originally under the direction of George Hanson. Later Frank Mullaney oversaw software development before Clair Miller was hired to head software development specifically. Zemlin points out that early software was conceived of as applications. Zemlin considers CDC's attempts to limit their support to system software and compares the policies of CDC with those of International Business Machines. He discusses training a force of outside analysts that was developed to provide support for specific customers and subsequently became part of the marketing organization. Zemlin discusses a number of specific projects, including the development of the ALGOL compiler at Oak Ridge. He also discusses the development of two forms of documentation for CDC software: external specifications, and internal maintenance specifications.Item Oral history interview with Robert M. Price(Charles Babbage Institute, 1983-06-09) Price, Robert M., 1930-Price describes the increase in applications software that Control Data Corporation began to provide to its customers in the early 1960s as applications programming efforts began to expand within the company.Item Oral history interview with Stephen Crocker(Charles Babbage Institute, 1991-10-24) Crocker, StephenCrocker discusses computer networks, artificial intelligence research, and his work at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Crocker details his interactions with other DARPA personnel including Cordell Green, Barry Wessler, Larry Roberts, Robert Kahn, and David Russell. He discusses his work as a program manager in the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO). Crocker describes the effect of the Mansfield amendment, which specified research needed to be relevant to the military, on DARPA projects. He also discusses software development.