Jack Tramiel, founder of the company Commodore, died last weekend at the age of 83.
For reference, Commodore produced many important computers in the 80s, most notable being the Commodore 64. The Commodore 64 was instrumental in the growing wave of home computing and the prevelence of early video games.
For me, it was also one of the first computers I ever had any time with. While there was never one in my home, I spent many recesses indoor playing video games and experimenting with programs in third grade on one of these. While it's hard to look at images from the old 64 now, as it's not aged well, computers as we know it would not exist if not for its low cost and high availability.
Tramiel was a Polish Jew who survivied Auschwitz during World War II and started into computing as a typewriter repairman for the U.S. Army in the 40s. He followed that up by starting his own typewriter manufacturing company, Commodore Portable Typewriter Company in Toronto in 1954. Commodore eventually went on to build calculators, and eventually computers in the late 70s and early 80s.
JD
Original aritcle: Commodore 64 pioneer Jack Tramiel dies at 83 (Globe and Mail Technology)
