Tech history in photos: Software giants of the 1970s
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Ed Yourdon, founder of Yourdon, Inc.
Ed Yourdon, founder of Yourdon, Inc.
Yourdon was a pioneer of the software engineering methodology and a proponent of structured analysis. He is also known as a co-developer of object-oriented analysis/design.
Gary Kildall, founder of Digital Research
Gary Kildall, founder of Digital Research
Kildall is known as the creator of the CP/M operating system. IBM made an unsuccessful attempt at licensing CP/M for the IBM PC.
VisiCalc founders Daniel Bricklin and Robert Frankston
VisiCalc founders Daniel Bricklin and Robert Frankston
VisiCalc is often regarded as the first spreadsheet program, originally released for the Apple II. VisiCalc was a big part of the personal computer becoming a business tool.
Oracle founders Larry Ellison (pictured), Bob Miner, and Ed Oates
Oracle founders Larry Ellison (pictured), Bob Miner, and Ed Oates
Ellison, Miner, and Oates founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977, which later became Oracle. Today, the company is known as a leader in ERP and CRM software.
SAP founders in 1988: Klaus Tschira, Hans-Werner Hector, Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner (from left to right)
SAP founders in 1988: Klaus Tschira, Hans-Werner Hector, Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner (from left to right)
SAP was founded as a private partnership in June of 1972. The company began by creating enterprise software for payroll and accounting.
Anthony James Barr, developer of the SAS language
Anthony James Barr, developer of the SAS language
Barr founded the Statistical Analysis System in the late 1960s. The SAS Institute was incorporated by Barr and Jim Goodnight in the 1970S.
Apple II DOS creator Paul Laughton
Apple II DOS creator Paul Laughton
In 1978, Laughton was working for Shepardson Microsystems and was contracted to build Apple’s first DOS for the Apple II.
Richard Lawson of Lawson Software
Richard Lawson of Lawson Software
Richard Lawson founded Lawson Software in 1975 with his brother Bill and John Cerullo. The company began providing custom mainframe software for IBM and went public in 2001.
Xerox PARC lab team
Xerox PARC lab team
Bob Taylor and the PARC team are responsible for tech innovations such as graphical user interface (GUI) and Ethernet.
