Gary Hendrix
Encyclopedia
Gary Hendrix is a natural language analyst who founded Symantec Corporation
, an international corporation which sells computer software
, particularly in the fields of information management
and antivirus software
.
at the University of Texas in May 1970 and then received his master's degree
from the same institution in December 1970. Advanced Research Projects Agency had announced a series of funding for six projects in natural language understanding in 1970, which influenced Hendrix's decision to study in the artificial intelligence
field. In January 1971, he enrolled in the PhD
program at the University of Texas, and was assigned Robert Simmons as his adviser.
read. This led to an invitation for him to work at SRI, which he accepted and subsequently moved to Menlo Park
, California
. After several years at SRI, he left with fifteen SRI employees to form Machine Intelligence Corporation, which ultimately failed.
in 1982 with the help of a National Science Foundation
grant. The company was originally focused on artificial intelligence
-related projects, and Hendrix hired several Stanford University
natural language processing
researchers as the company's first employees. To finance the company, Hendrix went to an American Electronics Association financial conference in Monterey
, California in May 1983. After demoing their product on an early Apple computer, businesses became interested in obtaining their product. Hendrix left the company in 1991 and moved to Texas
.
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
, an international corporation which sells computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
, particularly in the fields of information management
Information management
Information management is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information...
and antivirus software
Antivirus software
Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware...
.
Personal life
Hendrix obtained his undergraduate degreeUndergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
at the University of Texas in May 1970 and then received his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the same institution in December 1970. Advanced Research Projects Agency had announced a series of funding for six projects in natural language understanding in 1970, which influenced Hendrix's decision to study in the artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
field. In January 1971, he enrolled in the PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
program at the University of Texas, and was assigned Robert Simmons as his adviser.
Early career
While at the University of Texas, Hendrix published several papers on robotics and planning, which several people from SRI InternationalSRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
read. This led to an invitation for him to work at SRI, which he accepted and subsequently moved to Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. After several years at SRI, he left with fifteen SRI employees to form Machine Intelligence Corporation, which ultimately failed.
Symantec Corporation
Afterward, he founded Symantec CorporationSymantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
in 1982 with the help of a National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
grant. The company was originally focused on artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
-related projects, and Hendrix hired several Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
natural language processing
Natural language processing
Natural language processing is a field of computer science and linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human languages; it began as a branch of artificial intelligence....
researchers as the company's first employees. To finance the company, Hendrix went to an American Electronics Association financial conference in Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, California in May 1983. After demoing their product on an early Apple computer, businesses became interested in obtaining their product. Hendrix left the company in 1991 and moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.