Computer Pioneer Alan Kay Joins HP

Gary Fisher gafisher at sprynet.com
Tue Nov 26 09:38:49 UTC 2002


http://www.hpl.hp.com/news/2002/oct-dec/kay.html

press release

Computer Pioneer Alan Kay Joins HP
Co-founder of Xerox PARC to Focus on New Platform for Devices, Applications
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 26, 2002

HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced that Alan Kay, one of the founders of Xerox
PARC and a computer industry pioneer, has joined the company.

He will be a Senior Fellow in HP Labs, researching and developing new
software platforms for devices and distributed applications, based on open
source code.

"We're delighted to have a person of Alan's stature join our team," said
Dick Lampman, HP senior vice president of research, and director, HP Labs.
"His energy, creativity and special insights have had a huge impact on the
industry."
Kay will report to Patrick Scaglia, vice president, Internet and Computing
Platform Technologies, HP Labs.

"Alan's interests coincide perfectly with our efforts to create a new
software platform for the 21st century," said Scaglia. "The core
technologies he's currently pursuing will be an ideal complement to our own
research and development."

"I'm excited about working with the outstanding team at HP Labs and
throughout the company," said Kay. "I agree with HP on the need to support
standards-based, modular systems, where it makes sense for users and the
industry."

Kay will continue his association with the Viewpoints Research Institute, a
nonprofit organization in Glendale, Calif., that he helped found to improve
both general education and understanding of complex systems. He believes,
for example, that it should be possible to teach children as young as 5
years old to create simple programs using a set of authoring tools known as
"Squeak," which relies heavily on images, rather than words.

"Our work with children is aimed at teaching them 'real math' and 'real
science' through making their own simulations, including games," Kay said.
"We want to help them develop thinking and learning skills across a broad
range of topics. We also believe that many great inventions are created by
working with children."

Kay is one of the earliest pioneers of personal computing and his comment,
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it," is widely quoted.

In the late '60s, Kay participated in the design of ARPAnet, the forerunner
of the Internet. He also created the Dynabook, an early version of today's
laptops, with a flat screen, stylus, wireless network and local storage.

At Xerox PARC in the early '70s he invented Smalltalk, the first complete,
dynamic object-oriented language, development and operating system.

His work at PARC also included bitmap displays, used in all computers today,
as well as overlapping windows, icons and the point-click-and-drag user
interface.

He also was chief scientist at Atari from 1981-84, where he set up Atari
Research Labs throughout the country. From early 1984 through late 1996, he
was a Fellow at Apple and independent researcher, working on end-user
languages, input-output devices and The Viviarium, an educational research
project that lasted nearly eight years. In late 1996, he joined Walt Disney
Imagineering, The Walt Disney Company, as a Fellow working on digital media
projects. His five-year contract with Disney ended in September 2001.

About HP
HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and
services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT
infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and
imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq
Computer Corporation on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available
at http://www.hp.com/




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