Jason Abrahamson

Ed Roberts, pioneer of the personal computer business, and the man who made Bill Gates, died yesterday April 1st. Ed was the creator of the MITS Altair 8800 personal computer, which I’ve had the unique luxury of seeing in real life. I remember when my passion of computers as a kid drove me to learn everything about my idol, Bill Gates, I could. Ed Roberts came into the picture giving Paul Allen and Bill Gates their start – the ironic part is in the beginning Gates worked for Allen, who Roberts had made a VP at MITS.

If not for Ed Roberts, Bill Gates would have likely finished his law degree at Harvard and been a relatively poor dressed mediocre lawyer in greater Boston.

Instead, that electrical engineer in Albuquerque, New Mexico gave the poorly dressed nerdy looking Harvard drop out the start he needed.

Ed Roberts should not just be credited for making the personal computer possible, but, completely changing the technology world today. Had he not, Microsoft would never have come along, and the technology we have today might not otherwise be so widely available. Keep in mind, nobody thought the personal computer was something people would need/want.

As critical of Microsoft’s software as we are, you can’t discredit or dispute the fact that unlike their competitors, Microsoft made theirs as widely and universally accessible as possible.

Ed Roberts made personal computing, and Microsoft a reality. For that, he deserves to be remembered as the man who forever changed the technology world.