Ken Olsen

Kenneth Harry Olsen (born on February 20, 1926) is an American engineer who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1957 with colleague Harlan Anderson and venture capital provided by Georges Doriot's American Research and Development Corporation. He was born in Stratford, Connecticut. Olsen was a Massachusetts engineer who had been working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory on the TX-2 project.

In 1977, he infamously quipped, "there is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6981704.stm BBC NEWS | Technology | The Tech Lab: Gordon Frazer ] ] However, this quote is often taken out of context, since the computer he was referring to was not the same as the modern PC, but one of science fiction: "...the fully computerized home that automatically turned lights on and off and that prepared meals and controlled daily diets ..." [Edger H. Schein, quoted in Snopes.com [http://www.snopes.com/quotes/kenolsen.asp] ] . Olsen on many occasions mentioned having computers in his home.

In 1987 he gave the first of his infamous 'snake oil speeches', taken by some to be referring indirectly to the "Unix Conspiracy" [ [http://www.faqs.org/docs/jargon/U/Unix-conspiracy.html Jargon File article: Unix Conspiracy] ] . While Olsen believed VMS was a better solution for DEC customers and often talked of the strengths of the system, he did approve and encourage an internal effort to produce a native BSD-based UNIX product on the VAX line of computers called Ultrix. However, this line never got enthusiastic comprehensive support at DEC.Fact|date=September 2008

He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science [Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, "Shaping the Waves: A History of Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School", p. 108 ISBN 9781591398134] degrees in Electrical Engineering from MIT.

References

External links

* [http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/olsen.html 1988 Transcript of an Oral History Interview with Ken Olsen]
* [http://www.economicadventure.org/decision/olsen.pdf Ken Olsen] , New England Economic Adventure
* [http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/114.html National Inventor's Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.snopes.com/quotes/kenolsen.asp Snopes' account of Olsen's "computer in his home" remark]
* [http://www.decconnection.org/KOTribute.htm "The Salute to Ken Olsen" June 17, 2006]