This past year, the tech world lost many industry pioneers, several thought leaders.
From former CEOs of global tech powerhouses to visionary entrepreneurs who introduced game-changing technologies, 2011 saw some of the industry’s most brilliant minds pass away.
Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs.
Here’s a look back at some of the best known tech figures who departed us this past year:
February
Kenneth Olsen
Computer industry pioneer who co-founded and led minicomputer king Digital Equipment Corporation.
March
Jean Bartik
Not only was she one of the first women to work in computing, she was also one of the original programmers of the ENIAC computer, the first general-purpose electrical computer.
Paul Baran
Innovative mind who first came up with the idea of data packet switching, which laid the groundwork for the Internet we know today.
April
Gerald Lawson
Self-taught engineer who created the first home console gaming system, complete with interchangeable game cartridges.
Norio Ohga
One of the tech industry’s foremost thought leaders in consumer electronics, he was also chairman and chief executive of Sony Corporation.
May
Tom West
Computer hardware engineer best known as the leader of Data General’s 32-bit microcomputer team.
Jack Wolf
While spending much of his career in academics, his work with information theory is particularly noteworthy, as it opened the door to many improvements in the way computers transmit and store data.
June
Robert Morris
Mathematician and cryptographer, he was a leading developer of the UNIX computer operating system and was once counted on as a top U.S. computer security expert.
July
Michael Hart
Considered the father of the e-book, he founded Project Gutenberg in 1971 with the digitization of the Declaration of Independence, Bible, and works of Shakespeare.
Daniel McCracken
Computer scientist and leader on Fortran programming who published dozens of textbooks that helped teach many how to use computers.
September
Julius Blank
Mechanical engineer who helped found Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, which became the prototype for high-tech start-ups and training ground for a generation of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
October
Robert Galvin
Former leader of Motorola who made significant contributions to the wireless industry, including the radio that transmitted the first words from the moon to Earth, portable cellphones, and several other innovations.
Steve Jobs
Apple co-founder and former CEO whose creativity, vision and attention to detail brought us the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and helped carry Apple as a brand to the forefront of the computer systems industry.
John McCarthy
Computer science pioneer who invented Lisp programming language and was credited with coining the term “artificial intelligence.”
Dennis Ritchie
Computer scientist who invented the C programming language and Unix operating system, the latter of which became the inspiration for newer operating systems, including Linux and Apple’s iOS.
Edgar Villchur
Audio pioneer who invented a small loudspeaker that could produce deep, rich bass tones (which helped open the Hi-Fi music market), he also developed a prototype of the multichannel compression hearing aid which has since become an industry standard.
November
John Opel
Successfully resolved antitrust litigation with the U.S. government, he also served as IBM CEO from 1981 to 1985, where he oversaw the company as it ushered in the PC era.
Charles Walton
Developed RFID technology which, today, is largely used with key fob swipe systems.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy
22-year-old software developer and founder of Diaspora, an open source social networking alternative to Facebook, who was just starting to see the promise of his project come into fruition. ■
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