

John R. Opel, Who Made I.B.M. a Colossus, Dies at 86 - asanwal
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/business/john-r-opel-who-made-ibm-a-colossus-dies-at-86.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

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michaelpinto
I realize that if you're a twentysomething today that IBM almost does't mean
anything -- but back in the 80s they really opened the door to the PC
industry. And what's amazing is that they're an old guard company that really
embraced a disruptive technology -- something that a company like DEC tried,
but failed at. By the way if you're interested in the story of how the IMB PC
got started this is a nice starting point:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer#Origins>

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quizbiz
As a 21 year old building a tech startup, I can't help but feel like our
industry is experiencing a very important shift. To me, it's not about mobile,
apps, or the social stuff. It's about the tech leaders that are leaving us and
the incoming generation that is only beginning to enter the workforce. Seems
like there is a lot I should learn learn from John Opel.

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johnohara
I know it's old but Tracy Kidder's _Soul of a New Machine_ is a good read.

