T. William Olle
Encyclopedia
T. William Olle is a British
computer scientist
and consultant, and President of T. William Olle Associates, England
.
degree in 1957, both in Astrophysics
at the University of Manchester
, which involved extensive programming work on the Manchester Mark 1
.
In 1957, he moved to the Netherlands
where he worked in computing for a NATO organization. In 1964, he moved to the USA where he was employed by Control Data Corporation
in Palo Alto, California
until 1966. From 1967 to 1971, he was employed by the RCA Corporation in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
. In 1972, after a year in Norway, he returned to the UK to establish his own consultancy firm T. William Olle Associates, specialized in database management applications and information systems methodologies. He consulted clients in Europe, Australia and Canada, and presented lectures on database topics around the world. He retired in 1993.
Beginning in the 1970s, Olle became active in the CODASYL
organization as Chairman of its Systems Committee and spearheaded the preparation of two early analytical reports on “Generalized Database Management Systems”. He has represented the British Computer Society
on IFIP TC8 since its inception in 1977. He was also active in database standards work in ISO and was chairman of the BSI standards committee for many years.
Bill Olle was awarded an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University
in 2001.
started in 1953 at the University of Manchester. In the 1960s, he became interested in database
applications, and after his retirement in the 1990s focussed on the history of computing
, and on "professionalism in the computer field".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and consultant, and President of T. William Olle Associates, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Biography
Bill Olle received a M.Sc. degree in 1954 and a Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in 1957, both in Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, which involved extensive programming work on the Manchester Mark 1
Manchester Mark 1
The Manchester Mark 1 was one of the earliest stored-program computers, developed at the Victoria University of Manchester from the Small-Scale Experimental Machine or "Baby" . It was also called the Manchester Automatic Digital Machine, or MADM...
.
In 1957, he moved to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
where he worked in computing for a NATO organization. In 1964, he moved to the USA where he was employed by Control Data Corporation
Control Data Corporation
Control Data Corporation was a supercomputer firm. For most of the 1960s, it built the fastest computers in the world by far, only losing that crown in the 1970s after Seymour Cray left the company to found Cray Research, Inc....
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
until 1966. From 1967 to 1971, he was employed by the RCA Corporation in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
. In 1972, after a year in Norway, he returned to the UK to establish his own consultancy firm T. William Olle Associates, specialized in database management applications and information systems methodologies. He consulted clients in Europe, Australia and Canada, and presented lectures on database topics around the world. He retired in 1993.
Beginning in the 1970s, Olle became active in the CODASYL
CODASYL
CODASYL is an acronym for "Conference on Data Systems Languages". This was a consortium formed in 1959 to guide the development of a standard programming language that could be used on many computers...
organization as Chairman of its Systems Committee and spearheaded the preparation of two early analytical reports on “Generalized Database Management Systems”. He has represented the British Computer Society
British Computer Society
The British Computer Society, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in Information Technology in the United Kingdom and internationally...
on IFIP TC8 since its inception in 1977. He was also active in database standards work in ISO and was chairman of the BSI standards committee for many years.
Bill Olle was awarded an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
in 2001.
Work
Olle's research interest in the field of computingComputing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
started in 1953 at the University of Manchester. In the 1960s, he became interested in database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
applications, and after his retirement in the 1990s focussed on the history of computing
History of computing
The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables...
, and on "professionalism in the computer field".
Publications
Olle published numerous books and articles. The following is a selection:- 1971. Feature Analysis of Generalized Data Base Management Systems: technical report Conference on Data Systems Languages Systems Committee.
- 1978. Codasyl approach to data base management.
- 1983. Information Systems Design Methodologies: Improving the Practice. IFIP WG 8.1 Working Conference on Feature Analysis of Information Systems Design Methodologies 1983: York, England. Edited with Henk G. SolHenk G. SolHenk Gerard Sol is a Dutch organizational theorist and Professor of Business Engineering and ICT at Groningen University. His research focuses on the development of services enabled by ICT, management information systems, decision enhancement and telematics.- Biography :Henk Sol was born in 1951...
and C. J. Tully. - 1982. Information Systems Design Methodologies: A Comparative Review. IFIP WG 8.1 Working Conference. Edited with H.G. Sol and A.A. Verrijn Stuart.
- 1988. Computerized Assistance During the Information Systems Life Cycle. Proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.1. Working Conference on Computerized Assistance During the Information Systems Life Cycle, Cris 88, Egham, England, 19–22 September 1988. Edited with A. A. Verrijn Stuart and L. Bhabuta.
- 1988. Information systems methodologies: a framework for understanding. North-Holland.