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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>Dear Colleagues,<?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>It is a great pleasure for me to
join Sigcis. I hope I can make a contribution to your research.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>Several eminent historians have
drawn attention to major gaps in the history of
computing.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Much of computing technology was developed in
</SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Europe</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">, but its originators are not recognized even
in their home country. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Since </SPAN><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Europe</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> has no computer industry, historians have not
been interested. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">On </SPAN><st1:date Year="2003" Day="24"
Month="2"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">February 24,
2003</SPAN></st1:date><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">, the
New York Times published an article titled: <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Herbert F. Mataré. An Inventor of the
Transistor Has His Moment. </I><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>Fifty-five years after the fact, this was the
first time Mataré was given credit for his work.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">In
1986, the </SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Boston</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">
</SPAN></B><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Computer</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">
</SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Museum</SPAN></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><SPAN
lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">
held a contest to determine who invented the microcomputer. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="COLOR: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN">The Micral created by François Gernelle
was recognized as the first commercially distributed microcomputer.
.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT
size=4>Both Mataré and Gernelle have provided me with ample documentation and
information about their work. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT
size=4>My forthcoming book <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Silicon
Revolution</I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>explores this
unmapped area of history. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT
size=4>It constitutes a documented analysis and a coherent narrative of the
development of computing in the United<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>States, Europe and Asia.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT
size=4>Please see:/http://www.avandor.net <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=SV
style="mso-ansi-language: SV"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
IEEE paper <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The French
Transistor.</I></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=SV
style="mso-ansi-language: SV"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> </I></SPAN>NY
Times:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Herbert F. Mataré. </I></SPAN><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN lang=EN
style="mso-ansi-language: EN">An Inventor of the Transistor Has His
Moment.</SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT
size=4><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><o:p><FONT
size=4> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="mso-ansi-language: FR-BE">Armand Van Dormael</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: FR-BE"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="mso-ansi-language: FR-BE"><FONT size=4>33A Drève de la
Meute<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>1410
Waterloo<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT
size=4>Belgium<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>Tel/fax +32 2 354 96
63<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">a.vandormael@skynet.be</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN
style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>