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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:04:40

Title: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:04:40

The man who oversaw the creation of the IBM 5150 and Model 25 IBM PCs, died on October 19th 2013. He oversaw the team that created the personal PC from IBM which had the XT F and 1391401 keyboards. The 5150 PC gave us the XT F and the Model 25 PC had had Model Ms, what looks like 1391401s.

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70773000/jpg/_70773606_70773605.jpg)
Picture from BBC/IBM of the 5150 with XT F

(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/10/29/business/29lowe/29lowe-articleInline.jpg)
Picture from AP/NYT of William Lowe next to a Model 25 PC and 1391401 Model M

Check out some articles on this guy:

BBC Article with an 5150 PC and XT F picture (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24725678)

NY Times Article with a Model 25 PC and what looks like 1391401 Model M (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/business/william-c-lowe-who-oversaw-birth-of-the-ibm-pc-dies-at-72.html)

IBM Biography of William Lowe (http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_lowe.html).

DT article on the 5150 and Model F (http://deskthority.net/wiki/IBM_Model_F#IBM_Personal_Computer_keyboard)

Title: Re: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:05:38

 :(

It would be so cool to interview some of the originators of the technologies we love and see what they think of some of things we are doing now....

Title: Re: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:32:39

That would actually be a very cool project to do ray. Wonder what we would show them as examples of modern keyboards and computing though.

Title: Re: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:34:27

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:32:39

That would actually be a very cool project to do ray. Wonder what we would show them as examples of modern keyboards and computing though.

I'm thinking one of the many custom keyboard projects we have around here for starters!!

Title: Re: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: spiceBar on Tue, 29 October 2013, 12:34:23

Thank you CptBadAss for bringing this to our attention. Google news did not report this. They do report on the latest Kim Kardashian Instagram masterpieces however, so all is not lost.

Title: Re: IBM PC Pioneer William C Lowe Dies at Age 72
Post by: Hellmark on Tue, 29 October 2013, 13:49:22

I know Ralph Baer has been asked before about the maker community, and he seems to like it since he got his start doing a lot of fooling with electronics. Despite the amount of kits and gear now available, it seems like everything more or less has focused into a few small niches, and the general public at large knows even less than what they did.