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Birth
One of the most influential figures in the early days of computer science was born in Portland, Ohio on December 25, 1944. -
Introduced to a world where logic prevailed
In 1954, Greenblatt, with his recently divorced father, went to the Memorial Student Union at the University of Missouri, where he quickly took a liking to the place due to the abundance of intelligent individuals.
This is also where he met Lester. Together, they gradually discovered the world of electronics by breaking and fixing equipment. -
Enrolled at MIT
Richard Greenblatt enrolled at MIT in Fall of 1962, where he quickly became involved with campus computers and programming -
Joining the Tech Model Railroad Club
Greenblatt's exposure to computers at MIT, including the Hulking Giant 7090 and the IBM 1620, fueled his interest in computers and programs. He joined the Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC) -
Passion burns academic glory
During this era, Greenblatt gradually became a star, hacking as much as possible. However, this behavior took up the time for classes, and his grades dropped. -
Writing the first FORTRAN compiler for PDP-1
Greenblatt, inspired by Samson, wrote the first FORTRAN compiler for the PDP-1, showcasing his excellent intelligence and ability to work with programs. -
Meeting Gosper
Bill Gosper, another hacker at MIT, approached computers from a mathematical perspective, which was opposite to Greenblatt's robust approach. Nonetheless, these two would go on to form a great long-lasting friendship. -
Departure from MIT
Greenblatt grades were not great, and he struggled for some semesters. Eventually, he decided to drop out of MIT and took a job at Charles Adams Associates. -
Exposure to PDP-6 and development of LISP
Greenblatt was practically an engine that kept on producing algorithms and software. With the PDP-6, Greenblatt developed a LISP compiler to run the latest artificial intelligent language at that time. -
Hired at an AI Lab
After working on the MacLISP, Greenblatt solidified his position as a hacker. For this, he got hired at an AI lab to maintain the computer's operating system. -
Creation of MacHack
Greenblatt was a major contributor to MacHack, a chess program that was able to beat Herbert Dreyfus, one of the critics of computers and artificial intelligence. -
Incompatible Timesharing System (ITS)
The core of the system was written by Greenblatt and Nelson, with Tom Knight adjustments. Now, "several users would be able to run programs on ITS at the same time" (Levy 53). -
Work on LISP machines
Greenblatt co-founded Lisp Machines, Inc. (LMI). This is where LISP machines were sold but still retained hacker-friendly mentality. -
Recognition
Richard Greenblatt was publicly recognized for his contribution and achievement in the early days of the digital age. In Steven Levy's "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution", Greenblatt and Gosper receive an entire chapter dedicated to them. -
Closure of Lisp Machines, Inc
The company struggled with financial issues and public interest in AI. During this period, Symbolic was a direct competitor with LMI, which further impacted LMI income.