André Truong Trong Thi
Encyclopedia
André Trương Trọng Thi was a Vietnamese
-French
engineer. He is considered to be the "father
of the personal computer
" for his company creating thanks to the french inventor of this machine François Gernelle, the Micral N
based on an Intel 8008
processor, soon named in 1973 for the first time: "micro-computer".
). After working for Schlumberger
and Intertechnique for some time, he formed the company R2E (Réalisation d'Études Électroniques) in 1971.
In 1973, thanks to François Gernelle and a team of engineers, his company created the Micral
, the first non-kit, microprocessor based personal computer
in the world. It was created two years before the MITS Altair of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
arrived on the market. In 1981, R2E was absorbed by Groupe Bull
.
The Micral computers were turned into a line of PC-compatibles in 1983. André Truong Trong Thi resigned from Bull, and joined the company Normerel formed by J. R. Tissot, a former member of R2E management. He developed the Oplite personal computer for Normerel. Normerel was in 1988 the third French computer maker after Groupe Bull
and SMT Goupil.
In 1995, he formed APCT, a software company specializing in cryptography
. In 1999, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur
.
He died on April 4, 2005 in Paris after being hospitalized for two and a half years.
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
-French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
engineer. He is considered to be the "father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
of the personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
" for his company creating thanks to the french inventor of this machine François Gernelle, the Micral N
MICRAL
According to the Computer History Museum, the Micral N, produced by the French company R2E, was the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer based on a microprocessor...
based on an Intel 8008
Intel 8008
The Intel 8008 was an early byte-oriented microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and introduced in April 1972. It was an 8-bit CPU with an external 14-bit address bus that could address 16KB of memory...
processor, soon named in 1973 for the first time: "micro-computer".
Biography
Trương Trọng Thi was born in 1936 in Cholon (Saigon). When he was 14 years old, he arrived in France to study, and later studied at the École Française de Radioélectricité (now EFREIEFREI
EFREI is a French private engineering school located in Villejuif, Île-de-France, at the south of Paris. Its courses, specializing in computer science and management, are taught with support from the state...
). After working for Schlumberger
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
and Intertechnique for some time, he formed the company R2E (Réalisation d'Études Électroniques) in 1971.
In 1973, thanks to François Gernelle and a team of engineers, his company created the Micral
MICRAL
According to the Computer History Museum, the Micral N, produced by the French company R2E, was the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer based on a microprocessor...
, the first non-kit, microprocessor based personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in the world. It was created two years before the MITS Altair of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims founded MITS in December 1969 to produce miniaturized telemetry...
arrived on the market. In 1981, R2E was absorbed by Groupe Bull
Groupe Bull
-External links:* * — Friends, co-workers and former employees of Bull and Honeywell* *...
.
The Micral computers were turned into a line of PC-compatibles in 1983. André Truong Trong Thi resigned from Bull, and joined the company Normerel formed by J. R. Tissot, a former member of R2E management. He developed the Oplite personal computer for Normerel. Normerel was in 1988 the third French computer maker after Groupe Bull
Groupe Bull
-External links:* * — Friends, co-workers and former employees of Bull and Honeywell* *...
and SMT Goupil.
In 1995, he formed APCT, a software company specializing in cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. In 1999, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
He died on April 4, 2005 in Paris after being hospitalized for two and a half years.
External links
- A Talk with the Father of Computing - Wired Magazine
- Death of Andre Truong, inventor of the microcomputer - ZDNet France. Published on April 6, 2005
- "Cha đẻ của máy vi tính" - Kỹ sư gốc Việt Trương Trọng Thi qua đời (the father of the personal computer passes away)Vietnam TelevisionVietnam TelevisionVietnam Television, or VTV, is the national television broadcaster for Vietnam. Like all media of Vietnam, its programming is directly controlled by the government.-History:...