Gary Kildall
Gary Kildall | |
---|---|
personal computer revolution | |
Title | Founder, chairman and CEO of Digital Research |
Board member of | Digital Research |
Spouse(s) | Dorothy McEwen Kildall Karen Kildall[3] |
Children | Scott and Kristen[4] |
Signature | |
Gary Arlen Kildall (
In 1974 in Pacific Grove Kildall demonstrated the first working prototype of CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputer). Together with his invention of BIOS (Basic Input Output System), his operating system allowed a microprocessor-based computer to communicate with a disk storage[6]. Kildall was among the earliest individuals to recognize microprocessors as fully capable computers (rather than simply as equipment controllers), and to organize a company around this concept.[7] Due to his accomplishments during this era, Kildall is considered a pioneer of the personal computer revolution.[7][8]
During the 1980s, Kildall also appeared on PBS as co-host (with Stewart Cheifet) of Computer Chronicles, a weekly informational program which covered the latest developments in personal computing. Although Kildall's entrepreneurial career in computing spanned more than two decades, he is mainly remembered in connection with his development of the CP/M operating system, an early multi-platform microcomputer OS, to which the later MS-DOS used on the IBM PC has many parallels.
Early life
Gary Kildall was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington, where his family operated a seamanship school. His father, Joseph Kildall, was a captain of Norwegian heritage. His mother Emma was of half Swedish descent, as Kildall's grandmother was born in Långbäck, Sweden, in Skellefteå Municipality, but emigrated to Canada at 23 years of age.[9]
Kildall later attended the University of Washington (UW), hoping to become a mathematics teacher. During his studies, Kildall became increasingly interested in computer technology and received his degree in 1972.[1][10]
Gary fulfilled a draft obligation to the United States Navy by teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California.[11] Being within an hour's drive of Silicon Valley, Kildall heard about the first commercially available microprocessor, the Intel 4004. He bought one of the processors and began writing experimental programs for it. To learn more about the processors, he worked at Intel as a consultant on his days off.
Kildall briefly returned to UW and finished his
Intel lent him systems using the
Business career
CP/M
Kildall and his wife Dorothy established a company, originally called "Intergalactic Digital Research" (later renamed as
CP/M's quick success took Kildall by surprise, and he was slow to update it for high density floppy disks and hard disk drives. After hardware manufacturers talked about creating a rival operating system, Kildall started a rush project to develop CP/M 2.[17] By 1981, at the peak of its popularity, CP/M ran on 3000 different computer models and DRI had US$5.4 million in yearly revenues.[11]
IBM dealings
Various reasons have been given for the two companies failing to reach an agreement. DRI, which had only a few products, might have been unwilling to sell its main product to IBM for a one-time payment rather than its usual royalty-based plan.[21] Dorothy might have believed that the company could not deliver CP/M-86 on IBM's proposed schedule, as the company was busy developing an implementation of the PL/I programming language for Data General.[8] Also possible, the IBM representatives might have been annoyed that DRI had spent hours on what they considered a routine formality.[19] According to Kildall, the IBM representatives took the same flight to Florida that night that he and Dorothy took for their vacation, and they negotiated further on the flight, reaching a handshake agreement. IBM lead negotiator Jack Sams insisted that he never met Gary, and one IBM colleague has confirmed that Sams said so at the time. He accepted that someone else in his group might have been on the same flight, and noted that he flew back to Seattle to talk with Microsoft again.[19]
Sams related the story to Gates, who had already agreed to provide a
Kildall obtained a copy of PC DOS, examined it, and concluded that it infringed on CP/M. When he asked Gerry Davis what legal options were available, Davis told him that intellectual property law for software was not clear enough to sue.
Multi-Programming Monitor Control Program (MP/M)
With the loss of the IBM deal, Gary and Dorothy found themselves under pressure to bring in more experienced management, and Gary's influence over the company waned. He worked in various experimental and research projects, such as a version of CP/M with multitasking (MP/M), it was a multi-user and multi-tasking version of the CP/M operating system created by Digital Research developer Tom Rolander in 1979. Kildall also worked on an implementation of the Logo programming language.[11] He hoped that Logo, an educational dialect of LISP, would supplant BASIC in education, but it did not.[26]
Graphics Environment Manager (GEM)
After seeing a demonstration of the
Kildall resigned as CEO of Digital Research on 28 June 1985, but remained chairman of the board.[27]
Computer Chronicles
Kildall co-hosted a public television program produced by PBS called Computer Chronicles. It followed trends in personal computing. Gary co-hosted the program for seven years during the first eight seasons from 1983 to 1990. After this time the program continued through its 19th season, with the last episode aired on June 25, 2002.
Activenture
In 1984 Gary started another company, Activenture, which adapted optical disc technology for computer use.[28] In early 1985 it was renamed KnowledgeSet and released the first computer encyclopedia in June 1985, a CD-ROM version of Grolier's Academic American Encyclopedia[20][28][8] named The Electronic Encyclopedia,[29] later acquired by Banta Corporation.[30]
Prometheus Light and Sound (PLS)
Kildall's final business venture, known as Prometheus Light and Sound (PLS) and based in
Prometheus Light and Sound system included a
Personal life
Kildall self-described as a "greaser" during high school,[5]: 12 and his colleagues recall him as creative, easygoing, and adventurous. In addition to flying, he loved sports cars, auto racing, and boating, and had a lifelong love of the sea.[7][11]
I think I’ll make a cassette tape of the ‘IBM Flying Story.’ I’ll carry a few copies in my jacket to give out on occasion. There’s only one problem. I [will] tell this story [to someone], and after I’m done, the same person [will say], ‘Yeah, but did you go flying and blow IBM off?’
Gary Kildall, Computer Connections[8]
Although Kildall preferred to leave the IBM affair in the past and to be known for his work before and afterward, he continually faced comparisons between himself and Bill Gates, as well as fading memories of his contributions. A legend grew around the fateful IBM-DRI meeting, encouraged by Gates and various journalists,[22][32] suggesting that Kildall had irresponsibly taken the day off for a recreational flight.[8]
In later years, Kildall privately expressed bitter feelings about being overshadowed by Microsoft,[11] and began suffering from alcoholism.[23][33]
Selling DRI to Novell had made Kildall a wealthy man, and he moved to the West Lake Hills suburb of Austin. His Austin house was a lakeside property, with stalls for several sports cars, and a video studio in the basement. Kildall owned and flew his own Learjet and had at least one boat on the lake. While in Austin he also participated in volunteer efforts to assist children with HIV/AIDS. He also owned a mansion with a panoramic ocean view in Pebble Beach, California, near the headquarters of DRI.[11][8]
Computer Connections
In 1992, Kildall was invited to the University of Washington computer science program's 25th anniversary event. As a distinguished graduate of the program, Kildall was disappointed when asked to attend simply as an audience member. He also took offense at the decision to give the keynote speech to Bill Gates, a Harvard dropout who had donated to UW, but had never attended.[8]
In response, Kildall began writing a memoir, entitled Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry.[23] The memoir,[34][35][5] which Kildall sought to publish, expressed his frustration that people did not seem to value elegance in computer software.[26]
Don't think for a minute that [Bill] Gates made it 'big time' because of his technical savvy.
Gary Kildall, Computer Connections[5]: 62
Writing about Bill Gates, Kildall described him as "more of an opportunist than a technical type, and severely opinionated, even when the opinion he holds is absurd."[5]: 62
In an appendix, he called DOS "plain and simple theft"[36] because its first 26 system calls worked the same as CP/M's.[37] He accused IBM of contriving the price difference between PC DOS and CP/M-86 in order to marginalize CP/M.[8]
Kildall had completed a rough draft of the manuscript by the end of 1993,[5] but the full text remains unpublished. Journalist Harold Evans used the memoir as a primary source for a chapter about Kildall in the 2004 book They Made America, concluding that Microsoft had robbed Kildall of his inventions.[8] IBM veterans from the PC project disputed the book's description of events, and Microsoft described it as "one-sided and inaccurate."[23]
In August 2016, Kildall's family made the first seven chapters of Computer Connections available as a free public download.[35][34][5]
Death
On July 8, 1994, at the age of 52,[10] Kildall sustained a head injury at the Franklin Street Bar & Grill, a biker bar in Monterey, California.[38] The exact circumstances of the injury are unclear. Various sources have claimed he fell from a chair, fell down steps, or was assaulted because he had entered the establishment wearing Harley-Davidson leathers.[21] Harold Evans, in They Made America, states that Kildall "stumbled and hit his head" inside the premises, and "was found on the floor."[8]
Following the injury, Kildall was discharged from the hospital twice. He was pronounced dead at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, on July 11, 1994.
An autopsy, conducted on July 12, did not conclusively determine the cause of death.[37][4] Evans states that Kildall's head injury triggered a cerebral hemorrhage, causing a blood clot to form inside the skull.[8] A CP/M Usenet FAQ states that Kildall was concussed due to his injury, and died of a heart attack; the connection between the two is unclear.[39]
Initial news reports and police investigation viewed Kildall's death as a possible homicide. According to the coroner's report, Kildall's fatal injury may have taken place "as a result of foul play," and the case was referred to the Monterey Police Department. "We're going to investigate it as a possible homicide," said police Sgt. Frank Sollecito. "I'm not going to flat-out say it's a homicide".[40]
Kildall's body was cremated. His remains were buried in Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park, in north Seattle.[8]
Recognition
Following the announcement of Kildall's death, Bill Gates commented that he was "one of the original pioneers of the PC revolution" and "a very creative computer scientist who did excellent work. Although we were competitors, I always had tremendous respect for his contributions to the PC industry. His untimely death was very unfortunate and his work will be missed."[7]
In March 1995, Kildall was posthumously honored by the
- The first programming language and first compiler specifically for microprocessors: PL/M. (1973)
- The first microprocessor disk operating system, which eventually sold a quarter of a million copies: CP/M. (1974)
- The first successful open system architecture by segregating system-specific hardware interfaces in a set of BIOS routines.[43][44][45][46] (1975)
- Creation of the first diskette track buffering schemes, read-ahead algorithms, file directory caches, and RAM drive emulators.
- Introduction of operating systems with GEM.
- Introduction of a XLT86. (1981)[47]
- The first computer interface for video disks to allow automatic nonlinear playback, presaging today's interactive multimedia. (1984, with Activenture)
- The file system and data structures for the first consumer CD-ROM. (1985, with KnowledgeSet)
In April 2014, the city of Pacific Grove installed a commemorative plaque outside Kildall's former residence, which also served as the early headquarters of Digital Research.[48]
In Popular Culture
Steve Hauk wrote a play A Mild Concussion[49]. Later, with Stewart Cheifet, a second version of the play was written under the title The Forgotten Computer Genius. The play looks at the final days of a computer genius[50].
See also
References
- ^ a b Kildall, Gary Arlen (December 1968). Experiments in large-scale computer direct access storage manipulation (M.Sc. thesis). University of Washington. Thesis No. 17341.
- ^ a b Kildall, Gary Arlen (May 1972). Global expression optimization during compilation (Ph.D. dissertation). Seattle, Washington, USA: University of Washington, Computer Science Group. Thesis No. 20506, Technical Report No. 72-06-02.
- ^ O'Connor, Rory J. "PC pioneer Kildall dies in Monterey". wearcam.org. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Markoff, John Gregory (1994-07-13). "Gary Kildall, 52, Crucial Player In Computer Development, Dies". The New York Times. p. D19. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kildall, Gary Arlen (2016-08-02) [1993]. Kildall, Scott; Kildall, Kristin (eds.). Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry (Manuscript, part 1). Kildall Family. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Almanzan, Krista (2014-04-24). "Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall". KAZU.
- ^ a b c d e f "Special Edition: Gary Kildall". The Computer Chronicles. 1995. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-316-27766-2.
- ^ Andersson, Ulrika (2009-01-19). "Skellefteåättling kunde ha varit Bill Gates". Norra Västerbotten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ a b Bishop, Todd (2014-04-25). "'A real inventor': UW's Gary Kildall, father of the PC operating system, honored for key work". GeekWire. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Swaine, Michael (1997-04-01). "Gary Kildall and Collegial Entrepreneurship". Dr. Dobb's Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- S2CID 10219496. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- Intel Corporation. 1974 [November 1973]. pp. 84–94. MCS-056-0574/25K. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25. (132 pages)
- McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 103–109 [108]. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- Intel Corporation. March 1975. Product Code 98-118A. MCS-514-0375/27.5K. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25. (2 pages)
- Intel Corporation. March 1975. Product Code 98-119A. MCS-516-0375/27.5K. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25. (2 pages)
- ^ Eubanks, Gordon. Akass, Clive (ed.). "Interview: Gordon Eubanks, Former Student & CEO of Oblix, Inc". Recollections of Gary Kildall (Interview). DigitalResearch.biz. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ISBN 978-1476708690.
- ^ ISBN 0-88730-629-2.
- ^ ISBN 0-07-135892-7.
- ^ a b Young, Jeffrey (1997-07-07). "Gary Kildall: The DOS That Wasn't". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- ^ ISBN 0-671-88074-8.
- ^ a b c d e Hamm, Steve; Greene, Jay (2004-10-25). "The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates - A new book says Gates got the rewards due Gary Kildall. What's the real story?". BusinessWeek. Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2006-11-13.
- ^ Eubanks, Gordon (2000-11-08). Morrow, Daniel S. (ed.). "Gordon Eubanks Oral History" (PDF). Computerworld Honors Program International Archives (Interview). Cupertino, CA, USA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ Rolander, Tom (2007-08-08). Scoble, Robert (ed.). "Scoble Show". PodTech.net (Interview). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b Rolander, Tom (1994-07-15). "In Memory of GARY A. KILDALL May 19, 1942 -- July 11, 1994". Tom Rolander's Website and Album (Memorial service). Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., USA. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
- from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ^ ISBN 0-9689108-3-1. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
- PC Magazine: 42. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ^ "Tom Rolander - Serial entrepreneur and Emergent Farming co-founder". Retrieved 2016-11-11.
- Rolander, Thomas "Tom" Alan; Laws, David; Michel, Howard E.; Halla, Brian; Wharton, John Harrison; Berg, Brian; Su, Weilian; Kildall, Scott; Kampe, Bill (2014-04-25). Laws, David (ed.). "Legacy of Gary Kildall: The CP/M IEEE Milestone Dedication" (PDF) (video transscription). Pacific Grove, California, USA: Computer History Museum. CHM Reference number: X7170.2014. Retrieved 2023-05-02. (33 pages) [1][2]
- ISBN 978-0887308550.
- ISBN 978-0-8129-3006-1.
- ^ a b Shustek, Len (2016-08-02). "In His Own Words: Gary Kildall". Remarkable People. Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b Perry, Tekla S. (2016-08-03). "CP/M Creator Gary Kildall's Memoirs Released as Free Download". IEEE Spectrum. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- ^ "A Career Spent in Gates' Shadow -- Computer Pioneer Dies at 52". www.tech-insider.org. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ a b Andrews, Paul (1994-07-14). "A Career Spent in Gates' Shadow—Computer Pioneer Dies at 52". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Akass, Clive (2006-08-11). "The man who gave Bill Gates the world - Gary Kildall was one of the founding fathers of the PC but he is remembered now for his greatest mistake". Personal Computer World. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Don (1999-01-12). "comp.os.cpm Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ Whitely, Peyton (7-16-1994) "Computer Pioneer's Death Probed -- Kildall Called Possible Victim Of Homicide" Seattle Times, https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940716&slug=1920582
- MicroDesign Resources Inc.(MDR). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- Software Publishers Association (SPA). 1995-03-13. Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2019-12-21 – via www.digitalresearch.biz.
- ^ Kildall, Gary Arlen (June 1975), CP/M 1.1 or 1.2 BIOS and BDOS for Lawrence Livermore Laboratories
- Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia. 5 (1): 6–7. #41. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- Killian, A. Joseph "Joe" (2001). "Gary Kildall's CP/M: Some early CP/M history - 1976-1977". Thomas "Todd" Fischer, IMSAI. Archivedfrom the original on 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ Fraley, Bob; Spicer, Dag (2007-01-26). "Oral History of Joseph Killian, Interviewed by: Bob Fraley, Edited by: Dag Spicer, Recorded: January 26, 2007, Mountain View, California, CHM Reference number: X3879.2007" (PDF). Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Digital Research (1981). XLT86 - 8080 to 8086 Assembly Language Translator - User's Guide (PDF). Pacific Grove, California, USA: Digital Research, Inc. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
- ^ Sammon, John (2014-04-27). "Computer pioneer honored in Pacific Grove". The Monterey County Herald. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Hauk, Steve (2014-01-03). "A Mild Concussion: A Play in Two Acts". SteinbeckNow. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ Hauk, Steve (1995). A mild concussion - The rapid rise and long fall of an idealistic computer genius - A play in two acts (Paper/Record) (Document). Computer History Museum. p. 85. Catalog Number: 102724428, Lot Number: X7075.2014.
Gift of Steve Hauk
Further reading
- Goldman Rohm, Wendy (1998-09-01). The Microsoft File - The Secret Case Against Bill Gates (1 ed.). ISBN 88-11-73868-7. [3]
- Laws, David (2014-02-26). "Gary Kildall and the 40th Anniversary of the Birth of the PC Operating System". Remarkable People. Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- "IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing - CP/M - Microcomputer Operating System, 1974" (PDF). Computer History Museum. 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- Libes, Sol (1995). "The Gary Kildall Legacy". Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey. Archived from the original on 2016-11-19.
- Kildall, Gary Arlen (2016-08-02) [1993]. Kildall, Scott; Kildall, Kristin (eds.). Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry (Manuscript, part 1). Kildall Family. Retrieved 2023-05-02. (Part 2 not released due to family privacy reasons.)
- Ness, Stephen A. (2017-10-21) [2016, 2014]. "CP/M Source". Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- "Gary Kildall Conference Room" Dedication Ceremony (PDF). Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). 2017-04-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-02-25. (18 pages)
External links
- "Dr. Gary A. Kildall". MaxFrame Corporation.
- Maxframe website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2004-10-10)
- The Computer Chronicles - Gary Kildall on YouTube