The 1995-98 Computer Hall of Fame

View the class of 2004, 2002, 2000

Charles Babbage |  Seymour Cray |  Lee Felsenstein |  William H. Gates III  |  Andrew Kay



Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
b. December 26, 1792, London, England
d. October 18, 1871, London, England

Inducted August, 1998





Seymour Cray
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Seymour Cray
b. 1925, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
d. 1996, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Inducted August, 1998

  • Widely acknowledged as the "Father of the Supercomputer"
  • Credited with developing the first fully transistorized supercomputer in 1958
  • A founding employee of Control Data Corporation in 1957; directed its engineering department 1957 to 1965
  • Invented CRAY-1 vector register technology, and innovative cooling designs for the CDC 6600 and CRAY-1
  • Founded ground-breaking Cray Research in 1972

  • More about Seymour Cray
  • More about Cray Supercomputers



Lee Felsenstein
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Lee Felsenstein
b. 1945 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Inducted August, 1998

  • Moderator of the now-legendary Homebrew Computer Club from 1975 through 1986
  • Designed the Processor Technology Sol, one of the first competitors to the Apple II
  • Designed the Osborne-I portable computer in 1981, the first mass-produced portable computer
  • Designer of the Pennywhistle modem, one of the first inexpensive modems for personal computers
  • An organizer of the Hacker's Conference in 1984
  • Currently a senior researcher and leader of rapid-prototyping engineering at Interval Research Corporation

  • More about Lee Felsenstein


Andrew Kay
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Andrew Kay

Inducted August 1998
  • Best known as the father of the KAYPRO personal computer, the only major computer platform designed and manufactured in San Diego County
  • Inventor of the digital voltmeter for his own Non-Linear Systems in 1953
  • Inspiration for psychologist Abraham Maslow's theory of "enlightened management"

  • More about Andrew Kay

William H. Gates III
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William H. Gates III
b. October 28, 1955 Seattle, Washington

Inducted August, 1998

  • Co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with boyhood friend Paul Allen
  • Wrote Microsoft's first program, BASIC for the MITS Altair, in 1975
  • Led Microsoft to become one of the world's largest corporations, helping the software industry rival established industries in economic influence and power
  • Donated nearly $1 billion to charities, including $200 million to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • More about Bill Gates
  • More about Microsoft Corporation
   

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Dr. Coleman Furr

  • Founder of Coleman College, a leader in technology education since 1963.
  • Founding Member of the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals.
  • Creator of the inverted curriculum, a process to allow students to find employment quickly while continuing their education.

More about Dr. Coleman Furr

   

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Admiral Grace Hopper

  • "Mother of COBOL," (COmmon Business Oriented Language).
  • Developed first compiler program.
  • Responsible for finding the first computer "bug" - a moth stuck in the contactors (solenoids) of the giant Mark l calculator.

 

   

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Dr. James Martin

  • Father of Computer Aided Systems Engineering (CASE).
  • Member of the Software Scientific Advisory Board to the U.S. Department of Defense.
  • Nominated for Pulitzer Prize.
  • Author of many books on technology, management and society.
   

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Gerald M. Weinberg
  • Author of The Psychology of Computer Programming published in 1971.
  • Credited with beginning the study of software engineering as human behavior.
  • Authored several hundred articles and over 30 books.
   

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Ed Yourdon
  • Lead developer of structured analysis/design methods.
  • Co-developer of object-oriented analysis/design.
  • Authored over 200 technical articles and 24 books.
  • Graduate of MIT. Currently involved with Year 2000 solutions.

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