Oral Histories & Workshop Transcripts

May 2002—ADAPSO Reunion Meeting—Washington, D.C.

The Software History Center, in conjunction with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the Charles Babbage Institute conducted Oral History interviews and pioneer workshops as part of SHC's ADAPSO Reunion meeting. Fourteen Oral History interviews of industry pioneers were conducted by computer historians and there were ten moderated workshops. All of these interview and workshop recordings have been transcribed and, after limited editing for clarity and accuracy, have been posted. The oral histories are posted on the Charles Babbage Institute website and the workshops are posted on the Computer History Museum website. The people interviewed and the workshop participants were all key players in the creation and evolution of the mainframe computer software and services industry during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

The abstract of each of these oral history transcripts is available by clicking on the name of the interviewee. The abstracts are reproduced with permission of the Charles Babbage Institute. The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Charles Babbage Institute website by clicking on the proper location in the abstract.

The full transcripts of each of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the workshop (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The names of the moderator and historian for each workshop are also shown.

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May 2004—PC Software Conference—Needham, MA

When the Software History Center conducted a PC Software Conference in Needham, MA, fourteen oral history interviews were conducted, some of PC software pioneers and some of additional mainframe software pioneers. In addition, eleven workshops were conducted, all related to PC Software subjects.

The transcripts of all of the oral history interviews have been or will be posted on the Charles Babbage Institute website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). An abstract of each of the posted transcripts is available by clicking on the name of the interviewee. The abstracts are reproduced with permission of the Charles Babbage Institute. The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Charles Babbage Institute website by clicking on the proper location in the abstract.

The full transcripts of each of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the workshop (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The names of the moderator and historian for each workshop are also shown.

Nov. 2004—PC Software Conference II—Mountain View, CA

In November 2004 the Software History Center conducted a second PC Software Conference, this time at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Six oral history interviews were conducted at this conference, four of PC software pioneers and two of additional mainframe/minicomputer software pioneers. In addition, there were three workshops conducted on PC Software subjects.

The transcripts of these oral history interviews have been posted on the Computer History Museum website.(those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). An abstract of each of these transcripts is available by clicking on the name of the interviewee. The abstracts are reproduced with permission of the Computer History Museum. The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the proper location in the abstract.

The full transcripts of each of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the workshop (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The names of the moderator and historian for each workshop are also shown.

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Feb. 2006-Professional Services Meeting—Mountain View, CA

In February 2006 the Software Industry SIG conducted a workshop for founders of a number of professional services companies in the 1950s through the 1970s. Some related oral history interviews were conducted in 2006 and in 2007 and are included in this grouping. The following is a list of these interviews. An abstract of each of these transcripts is available by clicking on the name of the interviewee. The abstracts are reproduced with permission of the Computer History Museum. The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the proper location in the abstract.

IT Corporate Histories Project—2004-2006

Oral histories of a number of prominent software executives were included in the software company collections developed under the auspices of the IT Corporate Histories Project. The transcripts of these oral histories are directly accessible through this website from the Computer History Museum (www.computerhistory.org) Collections/Oral History webpage or from the IT Corporate Histories website (www.computerhistory.org/corphist/) by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

Mar. 2007—NACCB Meeting--Mountain View, CA

In March 2007, the Software Industry SIG conducted a meeting at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA for the pioneers who founded the NACCB (National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses). These firms generally used independent contractors to carry out programming services for their clients. At this meeting we conducted four oral history interviews of NACCB pioneers, held three plenary sessions and ran four workshops.

The transcripts of the oral history interviews have been or will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

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The transcript of each of the plenary sessions and workshops is available from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the workshop (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The names of the moderator and historian for each workshop are also shown.

June 2007—RDBMS Meeting-Mountain View, CA

In June 2007 the Software Industry SIG conducted a meeting for a number of the relational data base management systems (RDBMS) industry pioneers at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. The attendees included people who had worked on the RDBMS technology and on the products and in the companies which specialized in this area (IBM, Informix, Ingres, oracle and Sybase). In conjunction with this meeting, five oral history interviews were conducted, along with two plenary sessions and eight workshops.

The transcripts of the oral history interviews will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

The full transcripts of the plenary sessions and workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the session (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The names of the moderator and historian for each workshop are also shown.

July 2007—Luanne Johnson Pioneer Oral History Interviews

In the mid-1980s, while working on a consulting assignment, Luanne Johnson became aware that virtually none of the software pioneers she was contacting for information had ever been interviewed about their experiences founding a software company in the 1960s and 1970s. She decided that this information should be preserved and began interviewing people she knew through her membership in ADAPSO. These interviews were with people who had been instrumental in founding and building the independent software companies that became the basis for today's software industry. The following is a list of the interviews which she conducted from 1986 through 2002. These digitized audio recordings and their edited transcripts are being turned over to the Computer History Museum as part of the Software Industry Special Interest Group Oral History Collection Project.

The transcripts of these oral history interviews will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

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November 2007—Interviews with Software History Center Founders

The Software Industry SIG has arranged for a series of oral history interviews with Burton Grad and Luanne Johnson co-founders of the Software History Center and currently the co-chairs of the Software Industry SIG. The first of these two interviews with Burton Grad were conducted in November 2007.

The transcripts of these oral history interviews have been posted on the Computer History Museum website. The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

June 2008—Minicomputer Software Meetings—Mountain View, CA

In June 2008 the Software Industry SIG conducted two meetings for a number of the minicomputer software industry pioneers at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. The attendees included people who had worked on providing software to support Digital Equipment (DEC), Data General (DG) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers during the 1960s through the 1990s (and even up to today). In conjunction with these two meetings, six oral history interviews were conducted, along with eight full workshops.

The transcripts of the oral history interviews will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

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The transcripts of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the session (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk).

Additional interviews will continue to be conducted by the Software Industry SIG. They will be listed here and posted on the Computer History Museum website as they are transcribed and edited.

December 2008—Oral History of Grace Hopper

SI SIG Member Angeline Pantages, former international and senior editor for Datamation magazine. edited an interview that she did with then-Captain Grace Murray Hopper in December 1980 to be added to the Computer History Museum’s oral history collection. This interview, as well as interviews of Hopper’s colleagues from various eras of her work, was for a biographical series, “They Made the Future in the Past,” which appeared in Denmark’s computer publication, Data. The article on Grace Murray Hopper was published in February 1981.

March 2009—Government Professional Services Meeting—Falls Church, VA

In March 2009, the SI SIG conducted a meeting at CSC headquarters in Falls Church, VA, for pioneers from companies that provide professional services to government agencies. In conjunction with this meeting, three oral history interviews were conducted, along with six workshop sessions focused on various aspects of founding and growing these businesses.

The transcripts of the oral history interviews will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee

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The transcripts of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the session (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk).

June 2009—Time-sharing and Remote Processing Services Meeting—Mountain View, CA

In June 2009, the SI SIG conducted a two-day meeting for pioneers from companies that provided time-sharing and remote processing services. In conjunction with this meeting, three oral history interviews were conducted, along with eleven workshop sessions focused on various aspects of founding and growing these businesses.

The transcripts of the oral history interviews will be posted on the Computer History Museum website (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk). The name of the interviewer is also shown. The full transcripts can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the interviewee.

The transcripts of the workshops can be accessed from the Computer History Museum website by clicking on the name of the session (those not yet posted are marked with an asterisk).

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