1. Two entrepreneurs with the same idea : Herbert W. Robinson (CEIR), Sam Wyly (University Computing Company) -- 2. Two computer designers who thought big : Richard Bloch (Honeywell 800, 400, 200), Gene Amdahl (IBM System/360) -- 3. Timesharing in academia and ARPA : J.C.R. Licklider, Ivan Sutherland -- 4. Packet switching and ARPANET : Lawrence G. Roberts, Robert Kahn -- Photographs -- 5. Artificial intelligence and changes at MIT and DARPA : Marvin L. Minsky, Michael Dertouzos -- 6. Creating something great in unusual places : Joseph F. Traub (Carnegie Mellon, Columbia University) -- 7. Creating the industry's first successful software products company : John Cullinane -- 8. Summary -- Author's biography.
Summary:
"The oral histories of the pioneers of interactive computing have much to offer today's leaders in business, industry, and academia on how to get complex things done. After all, industry, government, and academia working together created the computer industry, which led to the Internet as we know it today. To do so, the pioneers had to get around the various "systems" of the day that are always impediments to implementing new ideas. In their case, it was the voice dominated communications industry. For example, packet switching was invented to get around it. This was key to allowing incompatible computers to "talk" to each other across academia, and later industry, which would be the key to the Internet. Cullinane Corporation, the computer industry's first successfil software products company, benefitted from this technology as it focused on database software as the foundation for interactive computer systems for industry, government, and academia. As such, this book is a personal walk through the history that led to interactive computing as John Cullinane witnessed it and participated in it. He has the help of the oral histories of some key pioneers, and others. Also, he organized and introduces it in a way that illustrates the close interaction of the various individuals and organizations involved in te evolution of interactive computing. These oral histories, including John's, were drawn from the archives of over 300 such histories located at the Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota"-- Back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.