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Gerald Estrin was a computer scientist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), known for his influential work in computer architecture and reconfigurable computing. At UCLA he led the Machine Instruction Set Computer (MISC) and later the “reconfigurable processor” projects, both of which explored modular architectures and the idea that computer hardware could dynamically adapt itself to the needs of software—concepts that anticipated later developments in parallel processing and programmable hardware.

David J. Farber (1934–2026) was a renowned computer scientist whose work influenced distributed systems, early networking, and Internet policy. He served as Professor Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University, where he helped build one of the nation's leading computer science departments and conducted foundational research in distributed computing, email systems, and communications protocols. Farber passed away on February 7, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 91.

Bruce Gilchrist was a computing pioneer whose work helped establish the role of university computing centers as engines of research and innovation. As director of the Columbia University Computer Center, he oversaw the expansion of large-scale computing resources for scientific, engineering, and administrative use during the early mainframe era.

Martin A. Goetz was a software industry pioneer best known for receiving the first U.S. patent issued for computer software. In 1968 he was granted a patent for a data-sorting algorithm developed at Applied Data Research (ADR), establishing a landmark precedent that helped legitimize software as intellectual property and as a product independent of hardware manufacturing.

Jay Goldberg was a venture capitalist and entrepreneur who co-founded Hudson Ventures, a New-York–based venture fund investing in early-stage information technology companies. Under his leadership as managing partner, the firm supported startups in software, communications, security, and Internet infrastructure during key periods of industry expansion.

Bernard Goldstein was an investment banker and advisor who founded Broadview Associates, one of the first firms to specialize exclusively in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance for technology companies. Long before technology investment banking became its own industry category, Goldstein recognized that high-growth computing and electronics companies required specialized financial expertise.

Ann Hardy was a pioneering computer scientist whose work in operating systems and time-sharing contributed to some of the earliest commercial multi-user computing environments. At Tymshare, she served as a developer and system architect for the Tymshare time-sharing service, one of the first broadly available commercial systems that allowed multiple remote users to access computing resources interactively.

Albert S. Hoagland was a magnetic-recording and storage-systems pioneer whose research helped advance the performance and reliability of hard-disk and tape-storage technologies. He spent much of his early career at IBM, contributing to projects involving magnetic-recording physics, head and media design, and the engineering of high-capacity disk files during formative decades of the storage industry.

Thomas P. Hughes was one of the most influential historians of technology of the 20th century. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he helped establish the academic study of large-scale technological systems—such as electric power networks, telecommunications, industrial production systems, and computing—as a central discipline within the history of science and engineering.

Anthony G. Oettinger was a Harvard professor and influential thinker on information policy, communications, and the social impact of computing. At Harvard University, he held positions in applied mathematics and later founded the Program on Information Resources Policy, an interdisciplinary center examining how information systems affect national policy, governance, and society.

Donn B. Parker was one of the earliest and most influential researchers in computer security, cybercrime, and information ethics. At SRI International, he served as a senior information-security researcher and consultant, helping establish foundational principles for evaluating risks and protecting information systems.

James R. Porter was a leading market analyst and consultant in the semiconductor and storage industries. As founder and managing director of Porter Capital Partners, he provided strategic market analysis, forecasting, and competitive assessments to technology companies, investors, and industry groups.

Montgomery Phister, Jr. was a respected author, lecturer, and computer-industry executive whose books and consulting work helped clarify the architecture and economics of digital systems. His early work at Scientific Data Systems (SDS) and later Xerox Data Systems placed him at the center of developments in minicomputers and scientific computing during the 1960s and 1970s.

Robert M. Price was a technology executive and strategist known for his leadership at Control Data Corporation (CDC) during a period of significant innovation in computing and education technology. As President and Chief Operating Officer of CDC, he helped guide the company’s transition from its origins in high-performance computing toward diversified information services, training systems, and early enterprise solutions.

George M. Ryan was chairman and chief executive officer of CADO Systems Corporation, a company known for its minicomputer systems and business software solutions during the 1970s and 1980s. Under his leadership, CADO developed integrated hardware-and-software environments that provided small and mid-sized businesses with capabilities normally associated with larger corporate computing environments.

Jack E. Shemer was co-founder and chief executive officer of Teradata Corporation, the company that created one of the first commercially successful massively parallel relational database systems. Under his leadership, Teradata developed high-performance data warehousing systems that became essential tools for large enterprises managing vast quantities of transactional and analytical data.

Richard H. Shriver was a business executive and consultant who held senior leadership roles in manufacturing, technology, and consumer-goods companies. He served as president of R. Shriver Associates, where he advised organizations on operations, management, and strategic planning, drawing on decades of experience leading complex enterprises.

Gideon I. Gartner (1935–2020) was a pioneering entrepreneur, analyst, and philanthropist whose career helped define the modern IT research and advisory industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1956 and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1960.

Aaron Sylvan helps small-cap tech companies to overcome technical challenges, including resolving technical debt caused by AI/Vibe-Coding or simply inexperienced startup teams. Specialty in Enterprise SaaS and migration to/from Cloud. He also performs Technical Due Diligence for Angels, VCs, PE, and M&A.

Charles W. Bachman was a pioneering software engineer whose work helped establish the modern concept of the database management system. While at General Electric in the early 1960s, he led the development of the Integrated Data Store (IDS), one of the first commercial database management systems and a foundation for the CODASYL network data model. IDS introduced ideas—such as navigational access paths and layered architectures—that shaped mainframe data processing for decades.

Walter F. Bauer was a mathematician, digital computing pioneer, and one of the first entrepreneurs to build a large independent software company. In 1962 he founded Informatics General Corporation, which grew into one of the world’s largest software firms of its era.

John F. Carlson (1938–2006) was an American business executive best known for leading supercomputer manufacturer Cray Research Inc. during a pivotal period in its history. Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, he studied at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, and began his career as a certified public accountant with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in 1964.

James C. Castle (d. November 11, 2015) was a technology executive and board director whose career has spanned information systems, financial services, and transaction-processing industries. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Castle Information Technologies, an information-technology and board-of-directors consulting firm that advises companies on large-scale systems strategy and governance.

William T. “Bill” Coleman III (1947–2020) was a Silicon Valley software visionary and entrepreneur whose companies helped define enterprise infrastructure in the client-server and Internet eras. He co-founded BEA Systems in 1995 and served as its chairman and chief executive officer as the company’s middleware and application-server products became central components in large-scale enterprise systems.