Bob O. Evans

Bob Overton Evans ( born August 19, 1927 in Grand Iceland, Nebraska; † 2 September 2004 in Hillsborough, California ) was an American computer engineer and IBM executive.

Evans studied electrical engineering at Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in 1951. Immediately afterwards he went as an engineer at IBM, involved in the development of tube computers. In 1962, he became vice president of the Data Systems Division of IBM and was responsible manager of the development of the System/360 (both hardware as well as what software concerned ). System/360 was one of the most successful IBM products and set standards for mainframes. In 1969 he became president of the Systems Development Division and as such responsible for the development of the System/370 line and the System Network Architecture ( SNA). Most recently he was Corporate Vice President (Engineering, Programming and Technology) at IBM. In 1984, he went there to retire.

Evans won the early 1960s Thomas J. Watson, Jr. of IBM from creating a development policy of interoperable computer systems (realized in System/360 ). In particular, for the introduction of the compatibility idea in the computer industry, he received the 1991 Computer Pioneer Award.

He was then at the venture capital firm Hambrecht and Quist and 1988 partners in its spin -off Technology Strategies and Alliances. Evans is a Fellow of the Computer History Museum.

In 1991 he received the Computer Pioneer Award. In 1985 he was awarded with Frederick P. Brooks and Erich Bloch, the National Medal of Technology. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering ( 1970). In 2004 he became a Fellow of the Computer History Museum.

1981 to 1995 he was scientific adviser to the government in Taiwan.