Oral history interview with W. Earl Boebert

Abstract

Computer security pioneer Earl Boebert discusses his education at Stanford University before the bulk of the interview focuses on his work within the Air Force and at Honeywell. Among the topics he discusses are the Air Force Undergraduate Navigator Training System, efforts to save and market Multics (and the inherent challenges given GE’s existing systems and the economics of the mainframe business), PSOS, Sidewinder, the formation of Secure Computing Corporation. Also discussed is his role in the broader computer security research community including serving on many National Research Council committees, including the one producing the influential 1991 Computers at Risk.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1116862, “Building an Infrastructure for Computer Security History.”