Three Rivers Computer Corporation

Three Rivers Computer Corporation was a pioneering computer hardware company founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1978 by a group of Carnegie Mellon University graduates, including Raj Reddy, a renowned Artificial Intelligence expert. The company's early success was fueled by its innovative approach to computer design, which drew inspiration from the work of Seymour Cray and Control Data Corporation. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's products were widely used in various industries, including NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Bell Labs. The company's founders were also influenced by the work of Alan Kay and Xerox PARC.

● History

The history of Three Rivers Computer Corporation is closely tied to the development of the PERQ computer, a groundbreaking workstation that was designed to run Unix and other operating systems. The PERQ was first introduced in 1980 and quickly gained popularity among computer scientists and engineers at institutions such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's early success was also influenced by its partnerships with companies like Intel, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard. The company's founders were also involved in the development of the IEEE standards for computer hardware and were influenced by the work of Donald Knuth and Brian Kernighan.

● Products

Three Rivers Computer Corporation's product line included the PERQ computer, which was widely used in various industries, including aerospace engineering at Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The company also developed a range of peripherals, including graphics terminals and printers, which were compatible with the PERQ and other computers. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's products were also used in various research institutions, including CERN, Fermilab, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The company's products were influenced by the work of Douglas Engelbart and Ted Nelson, and were designed to be compatible with X Window System and other windowing systems.

● Technology

Three Rivers Computer Corporation's technology was based on the PERQ computer's innovative design, which included a bit-slice processor and a virtual memory system. The company's engineers, including Butler Lampson and Chuck Thacker, developed a range of computer architectures and operating systems, including Unix and BSD Unix. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's technology was also influenced by the work of John McCarthy and Edsger W. Dijkstra, and was designed to be compatible with TCP/IP and other network protocols. The company's engineers were also involved in the development of the ANSI standards for computer hardware and software.

● Impact

The impact of Three Rivers Computer Corporation on the computer industry was significant, with the company's PERQ computer influencing the development of later workstations, including the Sun-1 and Apollo Computer. The company's technology was also used in various industries, including medical imaging at GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthineers. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's products were also used in various research institutions, including Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and California Institute of Technology. The company's founders were also involved in the development of the National Science Foundation's Computer Science Network and were influenced by the work of Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn.

● Legacy

The legacy of Three Rivers Computer Corporation can be seen in the many companies that were influenced by its technology, including Silicon Graphics, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle Corporation. The company's founders, including Raj Reddy and James H. Morris, went on to become prominent figures in the computer industry, with Reddy becoming a leading expert in Artificial Intelligence and Morris becoming a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Three Rivers Computer Corporation's products are now part of the collections at the Computer History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, and the company's history is an important part of the development of the computer industry, which involved companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Apple Inc.. The company's legacy is also reflected in the work of Google, Amazon, and Facebook, which have all been influenced by the technological innovations of Three Rivers Computer Corporation. Category:Defunct computer hardware companies