The Top 8 Innovators of the 1980's


All told, the computer geeks of the 1980's laid the groundwork for, well, all of us. The Duran Duran-loving, Brat Pack-watching, NES-playing geeks of yesterday paved the way for the uber-geeks of today. This year, PC Magazine celebrates its 25th anniversary, and in doing so, we've decided to recognize the industry leaders for each of the years we've been in existence. Here, we've singled out the top innovators of our first (almost) decade (1982 to 1989).

Thanks to these eight software developers, engineers, and technicians—plus one plucky journalist—the world of personal computing, and thus PC Mag itself (thanks, guys!), has grown exponentially. In the 80's, these folks were responsible for a crop of speedier processors, cutting-edge apps, improved user interfaces, and pioneering hardware, all of which went a long way toward making computing a part of our everyday lives.




The Top 8 Innovators of the 1980's
  • 1982: Dave Bradley

    1982: Dave Bradley
    (IBM PC BIOS)

  • 1983: Mitch Kapor

    1983: Mitch Kapor
    (1-2-3)

  • 1984: Ernie Covelli

    1984: Ernie Covelli
    (HP's PCL)

  • 1985: Robert Carr

    1985: Robert Carr
    (Framework)

  • 1986 John C. Dvorak

    1986: John C. Dvorak
    (PC Journalism)

  • 1987: Robert Gaskins

    1987: Robert Gaskins
    (PowerPoint)

  • 1988: John Crawford

    1988: John Crawford
    (Intel 386 CPU)

  • 1989: Fred Cohen

    1989: Fred Cohen
    (Virus Scanning)

The Top 8 Innovators of the 1980's

From the first software suite to the man who created the first virus, PC Mag picks the most important innovations—and the men behind them—from the decade that brought us Webster and Pop Rocks.

Click on each photo for the story behind each innovator.