Alan Shugart (1930-2006) was an American engineer and entrepreneur who shaped the modern computer disk drive industry. He founded Shugart Associates in 1973, pioneering floppy disk technology, and co-founded Seagate Technology in 1979 with Finis Conner, which grew into the world's largest independent manufacturer of disk drives, serving as its CEO from 1991 to 1998. He began his career at IBM in 1951, working on the IBM 305 RAMAC and managing disk storage products, then led development of compatible disk subsystems and early floppy disk drives at Memorex. Shugart graduated from the University of Redlands with a degree in engineering physics, and received the IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award in 1997.
Facts
AwardComputer History Museum Fellow 2 AwardIEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award 2 FAQs
Did Alan Shugart invent the floppy disk?
The Computer History Museum credits him with perfecting the eight-inch floppy drive as a mass-produced device.
The Computer History Museum describes his role in specific terms. After leaving Memorex in 1972, he launched Shugart Associates, where he led efforts to perfect the eight-inch floppy disk drive as a mass-produced device. The wording is about perfecting and mass producing the drive, not about being the first to conceive the floppy disk. He left Shugart Associates in 1974 after a dispute over company direction with his board, and in 1979 he and Finis Conner founded Seagate Technology to produce hard disk drives for the new personal computer market.
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Source Wikipedia: Alan F. ShugartLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Alan Field Shugart (September 27, 1930 – December 12, 2006) was an American engineer, entrepreneur and business executive whose career defined the modern computer disk drive industry.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Alan F. Shugart
Wikimedia FoundationLead sentence, birth date substring
September 27, 1930
Lead sentence, birth date substring, precise
September 27, 1930
Lead sentence, death date substring
December 12, 2006
Lead sentence, death date substring, precise
December 12, 2006
Lead sentence, nationality clause
was an American engineer, entrepreneur and business executive whose career defined the modern computer disk drive industry
View the Source 2. Alan F. Shugart (Wikidata)
Wikidata alias: Alan Field Shugart
Alan Field Shugart
Wikidata P166: Computer History Museum Fellow
Wikidata P166 (award received): Computer History Museum Fellow.
Wikidata P166: IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award
Wikidata P166 (award received): IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award.
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