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<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Hello Julie,<BR><BR>You may wish to add a footnote to
your speech about the history of software.<BR>In 1972, François Gernelle
and a team of electronics engineers, working for a small company called
R2E, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>designed a program to support the logic of Intel's
untested 8008 microprocessor.<BR></FONT><FONT face=Calibri>It was intended to
run the Micral, an electronic calculator for which Gernelle coined the term
"microcomputer".<BR>In <A
title="http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/.../micral/micral_gernelle_toulouse.doc
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href="http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/.../micral/micral_gernelle_toulouse.doc ">www.feb-patrimoine.com/.../micral/micral_gernelle_toulouse.doc </A> he
explains in great detail - in French - the basics of the operating system.
<BR>This constitutes the birth certificate of the PC.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Two of the engineers who participated in the program
gave me a short memo about their contribution.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>The Micral was successfully sold to government
agencies and to private companies.<BR>In 1974, an upgraded version was
demonstrated without success at the National Computer Conference in
Chicago. <BR>The director of 'Popular Electronics' picked
up the advertising material outlining the technical specifications. <BR>He gave
it to Ed Roberts, the owner of a small hardware store, and asked him to put
together a do-it-yourself kit. They named it Altair. <BR>Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak used the kit to build their first Apple. Bill Gates and
Paul Allen wrote the software.<BR>The rest is history. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>For several years, R2E had a world monopoly. Badly
managed, the company went bankrupt and was taken over by
Bull.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Gernelle set up his own company, but did not have the
financial resources to compete with the multinationals.<BR>For several years, he
served as consultant, before retirng to cultivate his vinyard.
<BR><BR></FONT><FONT face=Calibri>Best wishes,<BR>Armand <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri><FONT face="Times New Roman">Armand Van
Dormael</FONT></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman">33A
Drève de la Meute</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman">1410
Waterloo</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Belgium</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Tel/fax :+32 2 3549663</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman"><A
title="mailto:a.vandormael@skynet.be
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href="mailto:a.vandormael@skynet.be">a.vandormael@skynet.be</A></FONT></P></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT
face=Calibri>--------------------------------------------------<BR>From: "julie
hugsted" <jhugsted@gmail.com><BR>Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:50
PM<BR>To: <members@sigcis.org><BR>Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] software
history/historiography?<BR><BR>> Hello fellow sigcis'ers,<BR>> <BR>> I
currently work on a speech for the Danish Society for the History of<BR>>
Technology. My working title is 'Software - the historical study of an<BR>>
immaterial technology', and I attempt to a) give an introduction to<BR>> the
field, software history, and b) discuss the challenges of working<BR>> with
software history.<BR>> <BR>> I know of this very comprehensive
bibliography of software history<BR>>
(http://www.cbi.umn.edu/research/shbib.pdf - thanks to those who made<BR>>
it!!) and I think that I have an overall good overview of the<BR>>
litterature on the subject.<BR>> <BR>> Nervetheless, I figure that some of
you might have a favourite<BR>> article, a must-read suggestion or have just
worked with the matter of<BR>> software history and historiographical
challenges? If this is the<BR>> case, please, do not hesitate to send me
suggestions for further<BR>> reading, - I prefer a suggestion that I might
already have thought of,<BR>> than no suggestion at all!<BR>> <BR>>
Thank you very much, have a joyfull Monday<BR>> <BR>> The best
regards<BR>> <BR>> Julie<BR>>
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