The story of Don Esterlich

He led the formulation of the first open standard and its acceptance by the industry, marking the arrival of the "PC era"; he adopted Intel architecture microprocessors and commissioned Microsoft to develop operating systems, thus laying the foundation for the PC The basic framework of core technology. If the fire of personal computers was ignited by Apple, then IBM's intervention really ignited the fire around the world, and it became more and more intense. The person who created the IBM personal computer was Don Esteridge, the most charismatic person in the company's history.

One day in 1980, IBM convened a high-level advisory meeting to respond to the raging personal computer wave. All parties were arguing endlessly. At this time, the laboratory director Roy stood up and proposed to break the rules and secretly organize a capable team to build a PC within a year. Finally, the plan was finalized.

Loy selected only 12 of the best engineers and secretly sent them to Boca Cotton, Florida, near Miami, where there is an IBM research and development center. The person in charge of this project called "Chess" is Don Esterlich. At that time, he was 43 years old and a middle-level manager in the company.

In the autumn and winter of that year, everyone in the team began to work overtime. Esterlich would come into the office at 11 o'clock in the evening to express condolences, or wake up the engineer who was sleeping in front of the terminal, and then send him back. Home. There is a story that fully illustrates Esterlich's personality: When PC production first began, he went to the production line in the middle of the night and saw two machines lying aside. The worker said it was because there was something wrong with the "UL label". Estrich looked at it and said, "But it does have a UL label on it." The worker turned to him and said, "Listen, you brat, the label is crooked." After hearing this, Esterlich was not angry, but very happy, because the workers understood the importance of quality better than he did. Esterlich purchased almost all the spare parts needed for the PC project from outside, including entrusting Microsoft to develop the operating system and purchasing Intel microprocessors, other peripheral chips, floppy drives and operating systems. This openness ensures the vigorous development of the PC industry in the future. In March 1981, the hardware was completed; in June, the operating system was completed, and the overall situation for the advent of standardized PCs was set. On August 12, IBM held a special press conference for the first PC. There were less than 100 people in attendance, and no one expected that the birth of this machine would mark the dawn of a new era.

It would be several months before IBM managers learned how big of a sensation their PC was. Matt, the owner of a chain store in White Plains, New York, said that the only thing preventing him from selling more PCs is that IBM cannot keep up with its supply. The success of the PC made Esterlich and his partners very excited, because they created a sales miracle of nearly 1 billion US dollars in the first year. For IBM, the money simply fell from the sky, so Esterlich's boss regarded him as a magician. In March 1985, Esterlich said goodbye at a retirement party. All the staff stood up twice and cheered for a long time. Four and a half years of tremendous pressure has left Esterlich with frostbite on his head and deep wrinkles on his face. With tears in his eyes, Esterlich is really tired.

On August 2, Esterlich finally took his wife for the long-promised vacation. The two men were on a flight trying to land at the Dallas, Texas, airport during a storm. When it was only more than 200 meters above the ground, the plane lost control. Unfortunately, the Esterlichs lost their lives, and a generation of talents fell.

When the bad news came, many people who had dealt with Estrich expressed regret. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said that Esterlich is the person he can confidant in IBM. Although the two had fierce disagreements from time to time, Esterlich was one of the few opponents who could convince him. Akers, then the chairman of IBM, said in his eulogy that Estrich might have eventually become the chairman of IBM. But these words mean nothing to the dead. And history will always remember: It was he, Esterlich, who opened the door to the "PC era" for mankind.

The "Uncrowned King" of personal computers

It is undeniable that Apple Computer opened the door to the personal computer industry and gave computer technology the opportunity to enter ordinary households, but the backbone of the computer industry is not This "artwork" is worshiped by the minority. When the first IBM-compatible machine that broke the rules came out, the personal computer industry really ushered in a boom. Don Estridge, the man who invented the IBM PC and proposed the concepts of "openness" and "compatibility" in personal computers. It is his ideas that have dominated personal life since the 1980s. In the computer market, companies such as Compaq and Dell are firm supporters of it and have achieved great success. Under the banner he established, every link in the industry began to operate at high speed, and retailers and agents also gained a place. As Sam Albert, chairman of the Computer Hall of Fame, said, "...he is one of the only technical geniuses in my eyes who can be inducted without any reason, and no one will question his selection." Esterlich, who loved personal computer technology, was an alternative to IBM in the early days. When IBM and Apple were fighting fiercely in the market, he privately purchased Apple computers for his own entertainment and discussed its advantages and disadvantages with his colleagues. . His "rebellious" behavior certainly caused dissatisfaction among IBM executives, but he didn't care. He found Apple's weaknesses as quickly as possible and reminded the technicians around him to pay attention. He also quickly rejected Jobs' invitation to be the president of Apple with an annual salary of US$1 million plus US$1 million in dividends. He firmly believed that IBM PC would be able to surpass Apple. With his efforts, IBM finally stood at the forefront of the personal computer market. "CIO" magazine commented, "In the personal computer industry, Esterlich played a key role. He made the industry bigger and bigger and created new history." As a senior engineer and technical architecture officer of IBM, A reform and innovation activist, although Esterlich has never received any additional awards or honors for a certain invention, he is the uncrowned king in the technology world.

However, in his youth, Esterlich did not show a strong interest in the electronic technology industry. However, when he graduated from college, he happened to be recruiting at IBM and he secured a position as an ordinary technician. , and thus began his working career at IBM. He started as an ordinary technician and was later transferred to the systems department to be responsible for hardware maintenance. Soon after, the U.S. Department of Defense cooperated with IBM to build a ground-based air defense system, and he was recommended to the engineering team. In 1964, he was transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was responsible for installing and repairing electronic components for the Apollo spacecraft (Apollo) during the "Moon Landing Plan". In 1969, the "Apollo" successfully landed on the moon, and then he returned to work at IBM. Unlike before, his work experience at NASA doubled his worth. He was immediately appointed as the manager of the Florida System Department, taking full control of the IBM mainframe hardware research and development project.

In 1975, news of the advent of the Apple I computer spread throughout the technology world, and Estelich was immediately fascinated by this simple machine. At an IBM board meeting, he took out a newspaper and proposed purchasing a batch of Apple I products for IBM technicians to facilitate writing microcomputer programs. The board of directors flatly refused and thought he was crazy. The reason was: IBM produces computers and it is impossible to buy similar products from others. Of course, he was unwilling to give up like this, so he privately bought an Apple I computer to conduct research alone. In 1978, the Apple II computer also appeared on the market, with sales exceeding a thousand units per month. IBM's board of directors could no longer sit still and appointed Estelich to be fully responsible for the research and development of personal computers, with the goal of surpassing Apple.

A year later, a 12-person personal computer research team was established at IBM. To challenge Apple, Esterlich also built his research lab in a garage. He changed his usual practice and purchased the cheapest components directly from suppliers, and worked with Gates to pre-install the DOS operating system on the computer.

However, IBM only assembles finished products and does not produce every component. Its approach of leaving all marketing and sales to agents and retailers has been adopted by many computer companies until now. A year later, the first IBM PC was born, and Esterlich was the first to provide computer instructions to every user, making IBM PC technology available to the public. Under this "open" and "compatible" strategy, IBM PC sales continued to rise. By 1985, more than 1 million units were sold. The PC Division also became a large company with annual revenue of 4.5 billion US dollars and tens of thousands of employees. department.

As the plane he was traveling on was hit by a typhoon, Esterlich, who was under 50 years old, was unfortunately killed. He was not able to witness the most glorious moment of personal computers. However, to this day, Esterlich's name has not been forgotten. Sam Albert said: "Whenever we sit down to discuss technology and the market, we always feel that an important role is missing, and that is Esterlich, a Irreplaceable leader