Title:
Oral History of Tom O'Rourke

Date:
2002-02-13

Pages:
16 p.

Interviewer:
Johnson, Luanne; interviewer
O’Rourke, Tom; interviewee

Abstract:
Thomas J. (Tom) O’Rourke reviews his personal life and his career at General Electric prior to starting Tymshare, one of the earliest time-sharing companies, in 1965. He covers the development of an operating system to support their time-sharing services, establishing an initial market with engineering firms, and shifting to the financial services market during the recession in the early 1970’s. He describes the growth of the proprietary network Tymnet as a significant business within Tymshare and the role of ADAPSO (Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) in providing time-sharing firms with a lobbying presence to resist government regulation. The interview concludes with the events leading up to the acquisition of Tymshare by McDonnell Douglas Automation in 1984.

Keywords:
O’Rourke, Tom
General Electric
Tymshare
Quist, George
Hambrecht and Quist
Time-sharing
Scientific Data Systems
Crandall, Rick
ADAPSO
Comshare
Goldstein, Bernie
United Data Centers
McDonnell Douglas Automation

Rights:
Computer History Museum

102657984