Ken Olsen
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Harry Olsen was an American engineer who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC) in 1957 with colleague Harlan Anderson
.
and grew up in the neighboring town of Stratford, Connecticut
. His father's parents came from Norway
and his mother's parents from Sweden
. Olsen began his career working summers in a machine shop. Fixing radios in his basement gave him the reputation of a neighborhood inventor.
After serving in the United States Navy
between 1944 and 1946, Olsen attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he earned an BS (1950) and an MS (1952) degrees in electrical engineering.
of the United States Department of the Navy
recruited Olsen to help build a computerized flight simulator. Also while at MIT he directed the building of the first transistorized research computer. Olsen was an engineer who had been working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory
on the TX-2
project.
In 1957, Ken Olsen and an MIT colleague, Harlan Anderson, decided to start their own firm. They approached American Research and Development Corporation
, an early venture capital firm, which had been founded by Georges Doriot
. In the 1960s, Olsen received patents for a saturable switch, a diode transformer gate circuit, an improved version of magnetic core memory, and the line printer buffer. (Note that MIT professor Jay W. Forrester is generally credited with inventing the first practical magnetic core memory
).
Ken Olsen was known throughout his career for his paternalistic management style and his fostering of engineering innovation. Ken Olsen's valuing of innovation and technical excellence spawned and popularized techniques, such as engineering matrix management
, that are broadly employed today throughout many industries.
He was inducted as a Fellow of the Computer History Museum
in 1996. He was awarded the Vermilye Medal in 1980.
In 1986, Fortune Magazine named Olsen "America's most successful entrepreneur", and the same year he received the IEEE Engineering Leadership Recognition Award. Olsen was the subject of a 1988 biography, The Ultimate Entrepreneur
: The Story of Ken Olsen and Digital Equipment Corporation written by Glenn Rifkin and George Harrar.
In 2011, he was listed at #6 on the MIT150
list of the top 150 innovators and ideas from MIT.
speeches", taken by some to be referring indirectly to the "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.
Olsen retired from DEC in 1992. He subsequently became the chairman of Advanced Modular Solutions. Olsen was also a major contributor to The Family
, a religious and political organization.
Olsen was a trustee of Gordon College
in Wenham, Massachusetts
. There, the Ken Olsen Science Center was named after him in 2006, and dedicated on 27 September 2008. Its lobby features a Digital Loggia of Technology, documenting Digital's technology and history, and an interactive kiosk to which former employees have submitted their stories.
on February 6, 2011, aged 84. Gordon College
, where he was a trustee and board member, announced his death, but did not reveal the cause of death. His family also did not comment on any details surrounding his death.
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
(DEC) in 1957 with colleague Harlan Anderson
Harlan Anderson
Harlan Anderson is an engineer and entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation which at one time was the second largest computer company in the world. Other notable entities he has been associated with include Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of...
.
Background
Kenneth Harry Olsen was born in Bridgeport, ConnecticutBridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
and grew up in the neighboring town of Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
. His father's parents came from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and his mother's parents from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Olsen began his career working summers in a machine shop. Fixing radios in his basement gave him the reputation of a neighborhood inventor.
After serving in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
between 1944 and 1946, Olsen attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he earned an BS (1950) and an MS (1952) degrees in electrical engineering.
Career
During his studies at MIT, the Office of Naval ResearchOffice of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
of the United States Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
recruited Olsen to help build a computerized flight simulator. Also while at MIT he directed the building of the first transistorized research computer. Olsen was an engineer who had been working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
on the TX-2
TX-2
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory TX-2 computer was the successor to the Lincoln TX-0 and was known for its role in advancing both artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction.- Specifications :...
project.
In 1957, Ken Olsen and an MIT colleague, Harlan Anderson, decided to start their own firm. They approached American Research and Development Corporation
American Research and Development Corporation
American Research and Development Corporation was a venture capital and private equity firm founded in 1946 by Georges Doriot, the "father of venture capitalism" , with Ralph Flanders and Karl Compton .ARDC is credited with the first major venture capital success story when its 1957 investment of...
, an early venture capital firm, which had been founded by Georges Doriot
Georges Doriot
Georges F. Doriot was one of the first American venture capitalists. In 1946, he founded American Research and Development Corporation, the first publicly owned venture capital firm...
. In the 1960s, Olsen received patents for a saturable switch, a diode transformer gate circuit, an improved version of magnetic core memory, and the line printer buffer. (Note that MIT professor Jay W. Forrester is generally credited with inventing the first practical magnetic core memory
Magnetic core memory
Magnetic-core memory was the predominant form of random-access computer memory for 20 years . It uses tiny magnetic toroids , the cores, through which wires are threaded to write and read information. Each core represents one bit of information...
).
Ken Olsen was known throughout his career for his paternalistic management style and his fostering of engineering innovation. Ken Olsen's valuing of innovation and technical excellence spawned and popularized techniques, such as engineering matrix management
Matrix management
Matrix management is a type of organizational management in which people with similar skills are pooled for work assignments. For example, all engineers may be in one engineering department and report to an engineering manager, but these same engineers may be assigned to different projects and...
, that are broadly employed today throughout many industries.
He was inducted as a Fellow of the Computer History Museum
Computer History Museum
The Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...
in 1996. He was awarded the Vermilye Medal in 1980.
In 1986, Fortune Magazine named Olsen "America's most successful entrepreneur", and the same year he received the IEEE Engineering Leadership Recognition Award. Olsen was the subject of a 1988 biography, The Ultimate Entrepreneur
The Ultimate Entrepreneur
The biographical book, The ultimate entrepreneur: the story of Ken Olsen and Digital Equipment Corporation, chronicles the experiences of Ken Olsen racing to design minicomputers at the company of his own founding, Digital Equipment Corporation...
: The Story of Ken Olsen and Digital Equipment Corporation written by Glenn Rifkin and George Harrar.
In 2011, he was listed at #6 on the MIT150
MIT150
The MIT150 is a list published by the Boston Globe, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011, listing 150 of the most significant innovators, inventions or ideas from MIT, its alumni, faculty, and related people and organizations in the 150 year...
list of the top 150 innovators and ideas from MIT.
Later career history
In 1987 he gave the first of his infamous "snake oilSnake oil
Snake oil is a topical preparation made from the Chinese Water Snake , which is used to treat joint pain. However, the most common usage of the phrase is as a derogatory term for quack medicine...
speeches", taken by some to be referring indirectly to the "Unix Conspiracy". While Olsen believed VMS
OpenVMS
OpenVMS , previously known as VAX-11/VMS, VAX/VMS or VMS, is a computer server operating system that runs on VAX, Alpha and Itanium-based families of computers. Contrary to what its name suggests, OpenVMS is not open source software; however, the source listings are available for purchase...
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
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
product on the VAX
VAX
VAX was an instruction set architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in the mid-1970s. A 32-bit complex instruction set computer ISA, it was designed to extend or replace DEC's various Programmed Data Processor ISAs...
line of computers called Ultrix
Ultrix
Ultrix was the brand name of Digital Equipment Corporation's native Unix systems. While ultrix is the Latin word for avenger, the name was chosen solely for its sound.-History:...
. However, this line never got enthusiastic comprehensive support at DEC.
Olsen retired from DEC in 1992. He subsequently became the chairman of Advanced Modular Solutions. Olsen was also a major contributor to The Family
The Family (Christian political organization)
The Fellowship, also known as the Family, is a U.S.-based religious and political organization founded in 1935 by Abraham Vereide. The stated purpose of the Fellowship is to provide a fellowship forum for decision makers to share in Bible studies, prayer meetings, worship experiences and to...
, a religious and political organization.
Olsen was a trustee of Gordon College
Gordon College (Massachusetts)
Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J...
in Wenham, Massachusetts
Wenham, Massachusetts
Wenham is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,875 at the 2010 census.The Town of Wenham was originally settled in 1635 and has retained much of its unique historic character and tranquil rural scenery...
. There, the Ken Olsen Science Center was named after him in 2006, and dedicated on 27 September 2008. Its lobby features a Digital Loggia of Technology, documenting Digital's technology and history, and an interactive kiosk to which former employees have submitted their stories.
Death
Olsen died while in hospice care in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
on February 6, 2011, aged 84. Gordon College
Gordon College (Massachusetts)
Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J...
, where he was a trustee and board member, announced his death, but did not reveal the cause of death. His family also did not comment on any details surrounding his death.
Quotations
Two quotes of his are frequently taken out of context, and are indeed among the least understood in the industry.- from 1977: There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.
Referred to having the computer run the house, with automated doors, voice-activated faucets et cetera. He had a computer in his home for general use and promulgated the idea.
- from 1992: People will get tired of managing personal computers and will want instead terminals, maybe with windows.
Anticipated thin clients and the general client-server model of the web. Indeed, most of the "thinking" now happens "out there," as with a mainframe and an office full of terminals way back when. Note that by "windows" he was not referring to Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, but rather to a windowing capability in a general sense: subdividing the screen so that more than one program can display its output at the same time.
Further reading
- Earls, Alan R. Digital Equipment Corporation. Arcadia Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-0738535876
- Schein, Edgar H. DEC Is Dead, Long Live DEC: The Lasting Legacy of Digital Equipment Corporation Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004. ISBN 978-1576753057
External links
- 1988 Transcript of an Oral History Interview with Ken Olsen
- Ken Olsen, New England Economic Adventure
- Ken Olsen, co-founder of DEC, dies at 84, Mass High Tech
- DEC co-founder Kenneth Olsen mourned by computer industry Network World