Bob O'Rear
Encyclopedia
Robert O'Rear is a former employee of Microsoft
, and is among the group of twelve early Microsoft employees who posed for a company photo in 1978. A Texan
, he has degrees in mathematics
and physics
. He left Microsoft in 1993, and reportedly owns a cattle ranch in Texas. His net worth
is reported to be about $100 million.
, was brought up in a rural town of 3,500 people in the Texas Panhandle
by his grandparents, who were sharecroppers on a cotton farm. O'Rear planned to be a physical education teacher, but later ended up graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso
with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He went on to graduate school to study maths and astrophysics.
In 1966, TRW
in Redondo Beach hired O'Rear to work on Air Force spy satellite programs that determined which photographs were taken and how. He also wrote programs that optimized the trajectory of Minutemen missiles during the Cold War
. Later on, in the 1960s, he went to work for NASA
. He helped write a program that determined the trajectory of the Apollo Command Module
as it reentered
the Earth's atmosphere
, and was in the NASA Command Center when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon.
Later in the 1970s, O'Rear and his friend from his TRW days found a company called Texametrics that made automated machinery for the manufacturing extrusion business for polyurethane bottle caps. O'Rear worked on a program which analyzed the patterns of correctly manufactured caps and caused the incorrectly manufactured parts to be ejected. During this time, O'Rear worked with both hardware and software that helped him later when he joined Microsoft
.
in 1977 and became the seventh employee. He went to work as the company's chief mathematician and project manager http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/DOS/ibm100/Boot.htm. He learned how programs were put together and also reworked some of the math code in them. After the success of the MS-DOS
and the IBM PC
, O'Rear became the director of international sales and marketing. O'Rear is considered one of the key people in Microsoft
's history and success.
on the IBM PC
. Microsoft
reached an agreement with Seattle Computer Products
to acquire marketing rights for 86-DOS. 86-DOS had been built to work on the Intel 8086
so it would work on the IBM PC's Intel 8088
which used the architecture and instruction set of the 8086
, but a slower and less expensive 8-bit external data bus. Work began as soon as the first prototype of the IBM PC
was received in Thanksgiving of 1980. Work was very grueling as there were both hardware and software problems and IBM was not always there to answer questions. It was finally released in 1981 and its success made Microsoft a Fortune 500
company.
, racquetball
, and skiing
. O'Rear is also a director on several boards of local businesses and invests in real estate development. Just before his retirement, he joined the advisory council on the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas, his alma mater
, through which he keeps a working relationship between the university and Microsoft by encouraging recruit students from the university.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, and is among the group of twelve early Microsoft employees who posed for a company photo in 1978. A Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, he has degrees in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. He left Microsoft in 1993, and reportedly owns a cattle ranch in Texas. His net worth
Net worth
In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time...
is reported to be about $100 million.
Early life
O'Rear, born in Wellington, TexasWellington, Texas
Wellington is a city in Collingsworth County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,275 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Collingsworth County.-Geography:Wellington is located at ....
, was brought up in a rural town of 3,500 people in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
by his grandparents, who were sharecroppers on a cotton farm. O'Rear planned to be a physical education teacher, but later ended up graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He went on to graduate school to study maths and astrophysics.
In 1966, TRW
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
in Redondo Beach hired O'Rear to work on Air Force spy satellite programs that determined which photographs were taken and how. He also wrote programs that optimized the trajectory of Minutemen missiles during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Later on, in the 1960s, he went to work for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. He helped write a program that determined the trajectory of the Apollo Command Module
Apollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
as it reentered
Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
the Earth's atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
, and was in the NASA Command Center when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon.
Later in the 1970s, O'Rear and his friend from his TRW days found a company called Texametrics that made automated machinery for the manufacturing extrusion business for polyurethane bottle caps. O'Rear worked on a program which analyzed the patterns of correctly manufactured caps and caused the incorrectly manufactured parts to be ejected. During this time, O'Rear worked with both hardware and software that helped him later when he joined Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
Microsoft
O'Rear first joined MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
in 1977 and became the seventh employee. He went to work as the company's chief mathematician and project manager http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/DOS/ibm100/Boot.htm. He learned how programs were put together and also reworked some of the math code in them. After the success of the MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
, O'Rear became the director of international sales and marketing. O'Rear is considered one of the key people in Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's history and success.
IBM PC and MS-DOS
O'Rear was the project leader and sole programmer in bringing up the first MS-DOSMS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
on the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
. Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
reached an agreement with Seattle Computer Products
Seattle Computer Products
Seattle Computer Products was a Seattle, Washington microcomputer hardware company which was one of the first manufacturers of computer systems based on the 16-bit Intel 8086 processor...
to acquire marketing rights for 86-DOS. 86-DOS had been built to work on the Intel 8086
Intel 8086
The 8086 is a 16-bit microprocessor chip designed by Intel between early 1976 and mid-1978, when it was released. The 8086 gave rise to the x86 architecture of Intel's future processors...
so it would work on the IBM PC's Intel 8088
Intel 8088
The Intel 8088 microprocessor was a variant of the Intel 8086 and was introduced on July 1, 1979. It had an 8-bit external data bus instead of the 16-bit bus of the 8086. The 16-bit registers and the one megabyte address range were unchanged, however...
which used the architecture and instruction set of the 8086
Intel 8086
The 8086 is a 16-bit microprocessor chip designed by Intel between early 1976 and mid-1978, when it was released. The 8086 gave rise to the x86 architecture of Intel's future processors...
, but a slower and less expensive 8-bit external data bus. Work began as soon as the first prototype of the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
was received in Thanksgiving of 1980. Work was very grueling as there were both hardware and software problems and IBM was not always there to answer questions. It was finally released in 1981 and its success made Microsoft a Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
company.
Retirement
O'Rear retired from Microsoft in 1993. O'Rear started a ranch in the Texas Panhandle where he grew up with his brother. While O'Rear provides the financing and business structure, his brother runs and operates the ranch. He spends more time with his family and pursues his hobbies- golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
, and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
. O'Rear is also a director on several boards of local businesses and invests in real estate development. Just before his retirement, he joined the advisory council on the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas, his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, through which he keeps a working relationship between the university and Microsoft by encouraging recruit students from the university.