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Mainframe computing pioneer Gene Amdahl dies at 92
Gene Amdahl, a pioneer of mainframe computing, died from pneumonia this week at age 92. Dr. Amdahl is known for is work with IBM, more specifically on the IBM 704, IBM 709 and other projects. He was also the chief architect on the System/360 series, a line of mainframe computers that would become the most successful in IBM's history. In fact, it's inner workings would influence computer design in the years that followed. After two stints with IBM, Dr. Amdahl set up the Amdahl Corporation that would directly compete with his former employer in the mainframe market. His machines were less expensive and faster that those of IBM while still being compatible with the company's mainframe software. He also formulated Amdahl's law which is used to predict the theoretical maximum speed improvement across multiple processors in parallel computing. Dr. Amdahl is survived by his wife, two daughters, five grandchildren and a brother. [Image credit: Marcin Wichary/Flickr]
John Opel, IBM CEO during onset of the PC era, dies at 86
John Roberts Opel, the former IBM CEO who helped usher in the PC era, died last week at the age of 86. A native of Kansas City, MO, Opel received his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1949, after fighting in the Philippines and Okinawa during World War II. Upon graduating, he was presented with two job offers -- he could either re-write economics textbooks, or assume control of his father's hardware business in Missouri. Not particularly enthralled with either opportunity, Opel decided to think things over during a fishing trip with his father and a family friend. As fate would have it, that friend turned out to be Harry Strait, an IBM sales manager. Strait offered Opel a sales position at the company, fortuitously setting the young grad on a career path that would span 36 years. Opel's career, in fact, began and peaked at two inflection points that would come to define not only IBM, but the computing industry as a whole. When he came aboard, IBM was still producing typewriters and other accounting devices; but that would soon change, with the dawn of the computing era. In 1959, he became assistant to then-chief executive Thomas J. Watson Jr. Just five years later, he oversaw the introduction of IBM's System 360 mainframe computer. He was appointed vice president in 1966, president in 1974 and, on January 1st, 1981, took over as IBM's fifth CEO, replacing Frank T. Cary. During his four-year tenure, Opel led IBM's push into the burgeoning PC market, overseeing the launch of IBM's first PC, the 5150, just seven months after taking the reins. He was also at the helm in 1982, when the Department of Justice dropped its 13-year antitrust suit against IBM, allowing the firm to expand its operations. Opel took full advantage. Under his stewardship, IBM's revenue nearly doubled and its corporate stature grew accordingly. In 1983, Opel made the cover of Time magazine, under a headline that read, "The Colossus That Works." He stepped down as CEO in 1985, served as chairman until 1986 and would remain on IBM's board until 1993. On Thursday, he passed away in Ft. Myers, FL, due to undisclosed causes. John Roberts Opel is survived by his wife of 56 years, five children, 15 grandchildren and a legacy that extends far beyond these 400 words.
