Ed Roberts (engineer)

Ed Roberts (engineer). Henry Edward Roberts was an American engineer, entrepreneur, and later physician who is widely credited with sparking the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. As the founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), he designed and marketed the Altair 8800 microcomputer kit in 1975, which became the first commercially successful personal computer. His work directly inspired pioneers like Bill Gates and Paul Allen to found Microsoft, and Steve Wozniak to co-found Apple Inc., fundamentally altering the technology industry.

Early life and education

Born in Miami, Florida, Roberts developed an early interest in electronics and built his first calculator while still in high school. He initially attended the University of Miami but left to join the United States Air Force, where he served as a flight test engineer at Kirtland Air Force Base. While in the Air Force, he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University and later completed a master's degree in the same field. His military service provided crucial experience in avionics and digital systems, which he would later apply to his entrepreneurial ventures in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Career and Altair 8800

After leaving active duty, Roberts and a partner founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initially selling radio transmitters and electronic calculator kits. Facing financial difficulties due to intense competition from companies like Texas Instruments, Roberts pivoted the company's focus toward the emerging field of microprocessors. In 1975, MITS introduced the Altair 8800, a build-it-yourself microcomputer kit centered on the new Intel 8080 microprocessor, which was featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics. The overwhelming response to the Altair 8800, which sold thousands of units, transformed MITS into a phenomenon and established the personal computer as a viable commercial product.

Impact on personal computing

The success of the Altair 8800 created an entire ecosystem, including the formation of the Homebrew Computer Club and the rise of early software companies. Notably, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, then students at Harvard University and working at Honeywell, respectively, contacted Roberts to provide a BASIC interpreter for the machine, leading to the founding of Microsoft. The open architecture of the Altair 8800 also inspired other key figures, such as Steve Wozniak, who demonstrated an early Apple I prototype at the Homebrew Computer Club, and spurred the development of the S-100 bus as a standard. This period marked the transition of computing from mainframes and minicomputers in institutions to accessible tools for hobbyists and entrepreneurs.

Later life and death

After selling MITS to Pertec Computer Corporation in 1977, Roberts retired from the computer industry and pursued a long-held interest in medicine. He earned a M.D. from the Mercer University School of Medicine in 1986 and established a successful medical practice in Cochran, Georgia, specializing in internal medicine. Roberts remained a respected but largely private figure in the technology community, occasionally giving interviews about his role in computing history. He died on April 1, 2010, in Cochran, Georgia, from complications of pneumonia after a long battle with diabetes.

Legacy and honors

Roberts is posthumously celebrated as the "father of the personal computer." His Altair 8800 is displayed in institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Computer History Museum. In 1997, he was inducted into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame, and he received the inaugural IEEE Computer Society Computer Entrepreneur Award in 1984. Tributes from industry leaders like Bill Gates and Paul Allen have consistently acknowledged his pivotal role, with many historians crediting the Altair 8800 as the catalyst for the Microsoft-Apple rivalry that defined the early personal computer industry. His life story, spanning engineering, entrepreneurship, and medicine, remains a unique narrative in American innovation.

Category:American computer engineers Category:American inventors Category:1941 births Category:2010 deaths