Gordon Eubanks
Encyclopedia
Gordon Eubanks is a microcomputer
industry pioneer who worked with Gary Kildall
in the early days of Digital Research
. Eubanks attended Oklahoma State University. Dr. Kildall was his graduate thesis advisor at the Naval Postgraduate School
in Monterey
, California
. Eubank's 1976 master's thesis was a BASIC
language compiler
called BASIC-E
designed for Kildall's new CP/M
operating system
. Over the next year and a half, Eubanks wrote the popular CBASIC
compiler for IMSAI
while he was still a naval officer. Friends of Eubanks say he called it "CBASIC" because he wrote it while serving on a submarine (at sea). Other people say the name CBASIC referred to commercial basic, because it incorporated BCD
math which eliminated MBASIC
's rounding errors that were sometimes troublesome for accounting.
In 1981, after Microsoft
moved from programming languages into operating systems, Digital Research improved its position in programming languages by acquiring Eubanks's company, Compiler Systems. Eubanks went to work at DRI, but he soon came to doubt the company's long-term prospects. In 1984, Eubanks joined Symantec
and from 1984 to 1986 he helped develop Q & A, an integrated database and wordprocessor with natural language query. He went on to become president and CEO of Symantec, guiding it into the software utility and anti-virus businesses until he left in 1999 to become president and CEO of Oblix
, a silicon valley startup that creates software for web security. Oblix was acquired by Oracle
in March, 2005. Eubanks is a director of Concur and joined the board of directors of Oakley Networks in February, 2006.
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
industry pioneer who worked with Gary Kildall
Gary Kildall
Gary Arlen Kildall was an American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur who created the CP/M operating system and founded Digital Research, Inc....
in the early days of Digital Research
Digital Research
Digital Research, Inc. was the company created by Dr. Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related products. It was the first large software company in the microcomputer world...
. Eubanks attended Oklahoma State University. Dr. Kildall was his graduate thesis advisor at the Naval Postgraduate School
Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy. Located in Monterey, California, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degrees and doctoral degrees...
in Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Eubank's 1976 master's thesis was a BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
language compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
called BASIC-E
CBASIC
CBASIC is a compiled version of the BASIC programming language written for the CP/M operating system by Gordon Eubanks in 1976–77. It is an enhanced version of BASIC-E, his master's thesis project.-History:...
designed for Kildall's new CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
. Over the next year and a half, Eubanks wrote the popular CBASIC
CBASIC
CBASIC is a compiled version of the BASIC programming language written for the CP/M operating system by Gordon Eubanks in 1976–77. It is an enhanced version of BASIC-E, his master's thesis project.-History:...
compiler for IMSAI
IMS Associates, Inc.
IMS Associates, Inc., or IMSAI, was a microcomputer company, responsible for one of the earliest successes in personal computing, the IMSAI 8080. The company was founded in 1973 by William Millard and was based in San Leandro, California. Their first product launch was the IMSAI 8080 in 1975. One...
while he was still a naval officer. Friends of Eubanks say he called it "CBASIC" because he wrote it while serving on a submarine (at sea). Other people say the name CBASIC referred to commercial basic, because it incorporated BCD
Binary-coded decimal
In computing and electronic systems, binary-coded decimal is a digital encoding method for numbers using decimal notation, with each decimal digit represented by its own binary sequence. In BCD, a numeral is usually represented by four bits which, in general, represent the decimal range 0 through 9...
math which eliminated MBASIC
MBASIC
MBASIC is the Microsoft BASIC implementation of BASIC for the CP/M operating system. MBASIC is a descendant of the original Altair BASIC interpreters that were among Microsoft's first products. MBASIC was one of the two versions of BASIC bundled with the Osborne 1 computer...
's rounding errors that were sometimes troublesome for accounting.
In 1981, after 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...
moved from programming languages into operating systems, Digital Research improved its position in programming languages by acquiring Eubanks's company, Compiler Systems. Eubanks went to work at DRI, but he soon came to doubt the company's long-term prospects. In 1984, Eubanks joined Symantec
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
and from 1984 to 1986 he helped develop Q & A, an integrated database and wordprocessor with natural language query. He went on to become president and CEO of Symantec, guiding it into the software utility and anti-virus businesses until he left in 1999 to become president and CEO of Oblix
Oblix
The commercial name Oblix may refer either to a suite of software designed to manage authentication identity or to the former company which developed that software.History:...
, a silicon valley startup that creates software for web security. Oblix was acquired by Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
in March, 2005. Eubanks is a director of Concur and joined the board of directors of Oakley Networks in February, 2006.
External links
- Transcript of Gordon Eubanks oral history.
- Face to Face: Gordon Eubanks (ZDNet video)