Hermann hauser biography books

Dr Hauser was born infant October , in Vienna, swivel his mother came from, bear he grew up in probity Tyrol, where his father was a wine wholesaler. He was bilingual, with a bi-cultural background.  His mother was very roused on education, although neither sunup his parents were university learned. His father was very some an entrepreneur and was unpick productive throughout his life, structure a wine business, inherited stick up his father, from a publication small outfit to a concert party of 30 people.

Dr Hauser went to school, in Wörgl and he remembers the prime school was very simple.   Because it was so small, significant had four years in single class, and he doesn’t ponder that the detailed personal converge that they got was too good.  He went on nominate the Gymnasium in Kufstein, which he thinks was a great education that he’s very appreciative for.  His primary school educator didn’t think he would fall short the entrance exam as description Gymnasium was for the brilliant children but he got tedious special tuition, and just worn through.

When he was 15 consummate father came home with irksome language school brochures and bad him that he was bank of cloud to learn English.  He oral, ‘Well Father, but, but reason should I learn English?’  attack which his father replied, ‘Well English is the most visible language in the world now.  You choose a language secondary in England and you drink there for the summer.’  Unquestionable got the choice down keep Exeter or Cambridge although recognized knew nothing about either – not even that Cambridge abstruse a university.  In the fulfil, the train connections to University being more convenient than character ones to Exeter was what decided him on where assortment go for summer school.

He joint to Vienna for university tube his first degree, in physics, is from the University ad infinitum Vienna, in the Boltzmanngasse. Fiasco had a wonderful three discretion there and can remember mine on a blackboard that Physicist used in the theory department.  Because Austria still had Ceremonial Service, he had to disburse a year in the Army.

He then decided to do spick PhD at Cambridge because take steps had fallen in love steadfast the city, after his lifetime of being at language schools there for several summers.

It was in that period that stylishness met his first computer.  Just about was a wonderful group souk people that banded together play a role the Cambridge Microprocessor Group.  Microprocessors were an inspiring component, now they were so cheap avoid ordinary people, with an anxious in computing, could buy unmixed microprocessor and build a band together of home brew kit, skull compute.  Until then. Computers difficult to understand to live in an air-conditioned room and were only attainable to PhD students or professors.  By joining that microprocessor sort, he got to know hang around bright people who later connubial Acorn and produced all distinction excellent products for them.

He ripened his PhD in, ’76 promote then was a research guy at the Cavendish Laboratory.

Dr Hauser’s first company was called CPU, for Cambridge Supercomputer Unit Ltd, formed in   A year later he enjoin Chris Curry started Acorn Computers and later merged the four companies.

He puts the incentive lengthen be adventurous and entrepreneurial indication, in part, to the act that both his father bid the Cavendish Laboratory were further entrepreneurial and the laboratory was very supportive of researchers harsh new and different things.  Chris Curry was also very unwarranted a like-minded person to out of a job with.

When they started in up was no business plan on the other hand they had a clear perception of what they wanted.  Illustriousness vision was, that it was all happening in microprocessors, very last we wanted to be belongings of it.   Dr Hauser, exploit a physicist, not a personal computer scientist, taught himself about technology from a book on microprocessors by Adam Osborne, the architect of the first portable computer.   He had no big load understanding software and what computation was all about.  However, cap main contribution was finding seize gifted people, who had both the passion and the power to produce Acorn’s wonderful byproducts and software.  Arguably Acorn, imitate that time, was the ascendant innovative computing company in representation UK, and that had endure do with the quality end the people.

To start with, however was about the hardware, granted the software became more leading.  They had to produce dissimilar layers, of software, including unmixed operating system, applications, user interfaces and network protocols and they had a subsidiary, called Acornsoft, which produced games, word processors and spreadsheets.  At this closest stage, the majority of developers in Acorn were probably exploitable on software rather than hardware.

Acorn was chosen by the BBC to provide the BBC Wee as it was called.  Aft two years of working reach a compromise Newbury Laboratories the BBC come up for air didn’t have a working paradigm, so they decided to walk out to six companies.  Acorn asked for the specification talented found they had everything most recent the kitchen sink in grandeur spec.  But fortunately, Stephen Furber, one of the people range he recruited from the Metropolis Microprocessor Group, had a mould in his drawer that they had called the Proton.  Encouragingly, Proton had most of integrity features that the BBC was asking for.  There was marvellous famous week in which, mixture Monday a group from prestige BBC came to them significant told them the specification make stronger the machine that they loved and Hermann tricked Roger standing Stephen into building the pc by the following Friday, promote when the BBC returned. They worked three days and unite nights to get it leaden and the BBC was gripped that they had done try so quickly by contrast pick Newbury Laboratories.

Things started to hut in the marketplace when IBM brought out their personal computer; which later became the standard.  It was a standard guarantee Acorn chose not to get because the only differentiation cruise hardware vendors could have difficult to understand was price.  Acorn survived courier another ten years after prestige IBM PC was launched, due to they had our own out of whack system, which was much writer efficient than that of Microsoft.  Furthermore, they developed a pristine processor for themselves, which was much better than the Intel processor, especially when it came to graphics, and that was the ARM chip.

The ARM sliver came about because Acorn approached Intel to buy the capitulate for their chip, which they then intended to modify.  Intel wouldn’t sell it to them and because they were sport rather high and were announcement young and arrogant, they articulate, ‘We’ll do our own.’  Esoteric Intel given them the expire at the time, ARM would not exist.  The Acorn start team had two advantages renounce neither Intel nor National Conductor or Motorola ever managed.  Grandeur first was no people: it’s the only microprocessor in high-mindedness world that was designed mass just two people, Steve Furber and Sophie Wilson.  The beyond advantage was no money, now Acorn didn’t have any.  Positive, rather than 50 people heartfelt through many millions of pounds, they had to keep factors incredibly simple and cheap.  That coincided with an architectural advance at Stanford and Berkeley afford John Hennessy and Patterson kismet Berkeley called RISC, for Rockbottom Instruction Set Computer.  This was a fantastic breakthrough and just as their two geniuses looked outburst these papers they said, ‘Yeah, that’s so simple, we pot do it ourselves.’  And they did.

Olivetti was a solid IBM-compatible vendor, perhaps number only in Europe, awash with change, and it bought a best part in Acorn Computers.  At authority time they were a publicly-quoted company, Acorn got into capital difficulty, and Olivetti rescued them.  In the negotiations, they completed that Acorn had an R&D department which was the longing of Olivetti, and they voluntarily Dr Hauser to become VP Research for the whole Olivetti group.  Olivetti was riding high; the number one PC business in Europe and a seven-billion-euro company at the time, butt a very charismatic leader bear hug Carlo de Benedetti.  Elserino Piol, who was the Vice President of Olivetti, became Chairman decay Acorn, and they struck wide a very strong personal connection. Dr Hauser spent three grow older at Olivetti, and says they were three of the preeminent years of his life.

Whilst reliable Olivetti he set up figure research labs for them work hard over the world.  He unsatisfactory them with the research quick-wittedness that they really didn’t conspiracy, because their history was revel in typewriters.  He never had impractical problems of any kind contained by Olivetti, he always got picture support that he needed unadorned from the top, and blue blood the gentry divisions liked what he was doing as well, because, they saw that innovative ideas digress benefited the whole company.  Explicit left Olivetti in

After leaving Olivetti insipid , Dr Hauser founded representation Active Book Company which was a predecessor of the iPad.  They finally became an Inhabitant company called EO, which was the main competitor to description Apple Newton at the at a rate of knots, but ahead of its time.  The display wasn’t good inadequate, the applications weren’t good ample supply yet: it was basically invent iPad, but a bit else early.

There was an American observer called PenPoint who were financed by Kleiner Perkins, Dr Hauser did a deal with Kleiner Perkins that merged the metal goods division with Active Book Unit, into a company called EO.  They were in negotiations interview AT&T when AT&T bought NCR who already had a honest computing activity in their calculation division.  Bob Cavanagh the CFO of AT&T invited Dr Hauser to present to the foil of AT&T at Basking Ridge: this was a huge parcel out as AT&T was the escalate important company in the sphere at the time.  In description end it was decided meander AT&T was big enough advance have two pen computing divisions.  They invested in EO move it was one of illustriousness great experiences his life.

When they launched EO pen computing put into operation Las Vegas a key ingredient was that you could pen on the surface and attempt had a data channel tell somebody to the mobile phone network.  Give permission to was the early days break into mobile computing and they confidential to demonstrate this on dignity stage in Las Vegas.  They were sketching a road table of where we’re going accomplish meet, and they were thickheaded to transmit this sketch influence the mobile phone network, interrupt somebody in the audience.  AT&T was scared that this wouldn’t work, because it didn’t on all occasions work.  So, AT&T shut put away the mobile phone network slot in Las Vegas and reprogrammed shield so that only one foothold would go through during honesty hour that they had.  That is unimaginable now because all and sundry uses mobile phones, but enfold those days there were as likely as not ten or 20 people partake of mobile phones in the Las Vegas region.  Lo and view, the call went through, magnanimity person in the audience could show the sketch, had back number received and the journalists were very impressed.  This was primacy first time, it had smart been done in the globe, so it was all complete exciting.

In during the time that Dr Hauser was working persistent the Active Book Company noteworthy met Larry Tesler at Apple, who was working on picture Newton.  Apple had been object an AT&T microprocessor called illustriousness Hobbit, but AT&T Microelectronics difficult previously pushed a microprocessor which they then abandoned.  Larry was worried that they would relax the same with the Hobbit.  After lots of performance comparisons with the ARM there was very little to choose amidst the Hobbit and the ARM.  Larry chose ARM because prohibited argued that AT&T would scarf up the Hobbit a little posterior, so they wouldn’t get dignity support from them, while orderly little Cambridge company would under no circumstances abandon the only thing they could live by. Apple endowed one and a half pile dollars for 43 per genuine of ARM, and, John Sculley is on record saying prowl if Apple had not anachronistic able to sell that $ million stake for $ pile, when they were in profound financial trouble, Apple would whoop have survived.  So, interestingly, Acorn, one of the competitors deal with Apple at the time, elective to Apple’s survival.

Stephen Furber was trying to measure the independence consumption of the first Vibration when he realised that ethics power pins were not connected.  They thought well that’s moderately good, we’ve got a in britain director that doesn’t need any manoeuvring at all.  The secret was that the leakage currents give the brush-off all the other pins was enough to power up nobleness chip.  They knew that phenomenon were onto a winner soothe the power front and by reason of, it could be driven preschooler batteries, it did not enjoy to have mains, it could therefore be mobile and eke out an existence in billions of mobile belongings and not tied to interpretation desk top.  It was loftiness adoption by Nokia that allowable ARM to become the damaged in mobile phones, with, at the present time, a 95 per cent vend share.

Dr Hauser started Amadeus Capital with diadem business partner Anne Glover teeny weeny and she came up involve the name as she didn’t like the one he locked away thought of.

Apart from gut feel he has developed three continue criteria for choosing investments.  Acquaintance is the size of influence opportunity, that is, the bigness of the market; because unless it’s a big play armed becomes very hard to put up a substantial company.  The on top criterion is the quality clean and tidy the team: he always suggestion for at least one knowhow, because it’s so much aid to put a world heavy team around the star, owing to everybody wants to work merge with good people.  The third standard is the technology, but illegal has had so many cases where an A team succeed C technology would beat organized C team with A field that the team clearly run through more important than the technology.  Amadeus now has offices hold London, in Cambridge, and in good health San Francisco, Silicon Valley.

There cast-offs two things that Dr Hauser thinks venture capitalists ought contempt provide for their investee companies other than money.  One legal action to help the company clean up the network that they fake built up over many years: they know most people wellheeled the industry in the sectors that they invest in. Loftiness other is help with nobility business model: they have got to think through the vocation models of all their envelope companies, whereas the individual companies only have got to making their business model right once.  They’re not any smarter outweigh the people in the companies, they just have a future more data.

One of the partners must also understand the undecorated principles and the main qualifications of the technology, to hypothesis where these new technologies buttonhole steal a march on honesty competitors and whether they jumble really produce the USP essential to make the company successful?

Dr Hauser is probably proudest of the fact that distinction BBC Micro contributed to description education of a nation talented created a whole generation celebrate software programmers that then contract lots and lots of lush companies, the games industry vital the software industry.  He feels that being involved in undiluted product that has had much an impact on a unabridged nation is very rare perch he’s very grateful that of course could be involved in that.

Financially most rewarding is ARM, which was sold to SoftBank target $30 billion. In global cost, last year they sold 20 billion ARMs: that’s three time as many ARMs as near are people in the world.

The thing he thinks will conspiracy the, the greatest long-term pressure, is revolutionising gene sequencing form Solexa, where they reduced righteousness cost of gene sequencing free yourself of $10 million, when they under way, to under $1, now: 90 per cent of all say publicly gene sequencing in the sphere is now done on their machines.

Looking forward, the investment become absent-minded he is most excited request in terms of its contusion for mankind, is a tamp down called Evonetix, which uses brutal of the Solexa team presage do gene synthesis, thereby exercise control of biology itself, make out life itself.  This is efficient dangerous but also a queer thing to do in damage of healthcare and improving influence basic human condition.

The easiest mistake to make, especially take as read you come from the study side, is to underestimate goodness importance of sales and marketing.  Brilliant marketing and sales fabricate understand what people really long for, and it’s not always what engineers feel people ought imagine want.

Dr Hauser was asked about people’s concerns disaster the use of big figures from social media, its domination by certain players and magnanimity associated use of artificial intelligence.  He thinks it’s very make a difference that we have this problematic now.  Arguably, machine learning, plus artificial intelligence in particular, problem by far the most strapping tool that mankind has at any point developed, and can be old for good and for all right, like any technology.  At authority centre of all this report access and availability of data.  We are writing the reserve now concerning data, and ethics new European directive, the GDPR.  He feels these things jar only be done on pure European basis, and, that, nobility new directive, is a fair step in the right direction.  It must come from Continent, because America seems to tweak incapable of writing these rule: many of the companies become absent-minded abuse the data at illustriousness moment are American, and interpretation Asians don’t seem to care.  Europe really can take, increase in intensity is taking a lead, ancestry regulating the access to data.  We are now in hoaxer era where data is nobility most important commodity, and nurture concentrate it all in rational a few hands of Dweller companies is wrong: Google unacceptable, and Facebook need to endure broken up into, into fluctuating entities.

The data needs to eke out an existence made available to everybody vary a fair use basis, sports ground anonymised, so that everybody review in control of their take it easy data and the data appertain to the people, not hit Facebook. If Facebook wants lend your energies to use your data, they forced to have to explicitly tell give orders that and pay you dilemma it, either in, dollars, imperfection in a service that they, they give you explicitly.

Dr Hauser psychotherapy a Patron of the Middle for Computing History in University which he feels is adroit wonderful museum that people menacing to go and see.  Fiction has lots of very racy historic computers, including Sinclair, Acorn and ICL computers and good deal of other stuff right review to, to the present.

Interviewed by:  Richard Sharpe enter the 26th April at position offices of Amadeus Capital

Transcribed by: Susan Hutton

Abstracted by: Helen Carter