Peter John Bird (1934–2017) was a British
computer operator
A computer operator is a role in IT which oversees the running of computer systems, ensuring that the machines, and computers are running properly. The job of a computer operator as defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics is to ...
in the early days of commercial computing, and rose to be a director of
Lyons Computer Services.
Bird was born in 1934 in north London,
the second son of Eileen (née Darnell) and Jack Bird, a solicitors’ clerk.
He served in the
Merchant Navy, eventually becoming a
first officer.
Bird worked for
J. Lyons and Co. from 1964 to 1991, initially as an operator of the
LEO III computer.
From the late 1980s, he developed an interest on the history of computing at Lyons, and thus in the history of the company in general. This led to him writing two books, one on each topic.
He also developed a secondary career, as a consultant on Lyons' history for television programmes, on some of which he appeared.
The LEO Computers Society's 2016 book 'LEO Remembered' is dedicated to him.
In later years, he lived in
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell.
History
Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may ...
.
He died on 16 August 2017, aged 82.
Bibliography
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References
1934 births
2017 deaths
Writers from London
English non-fiction writers
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