Steve Russell (computer scientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Russell
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Russell in 2011
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Stephen Russell
1937 (age 87–88) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Other names | Slug |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Known for | Spacewar! Lisp |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | MIT |
Stephen Russell (born in 1937), also known as "Slug," is an American computer expert. He is famous for creating Spacewar!, which is known as one of the very first widely shared video games.
Contents
About Stephen Russell
Early Life and Education
Stephen Russell was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1937. He went to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He studied there from 1954 to 1958.
Helping Create Lisp
Russell played a big part in developing an important computer language called Lisp. He wrote some of the first versions of Lisp for a large computer called the IBM 704. He made it possible for computers to understand and run Lisp programs more easily. This helped Lisp become a widely used language.
Inventing Spacewar!
In 1962, Russell created and designed the game Spacewar!. He worked with friends from the Tech Model Railroad Club at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They used a special computer called a DEC PDP-1 minicomputer.
Spacewar! is seen as one of the first digital video games ever made. It helped start the whole video game industry we know today. Imagine playing a game on a computer that filled a whole room!
Mentoring Future Tech Leaders
Later, Russell worked at a company called Computer Center Corporation. In 1968, he helped teach two young students, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, how to use a large computer called a PDP-10 mainframe. These two students later went on to create Microsoft, a very famous computer company. Russell's guidance helped them learn important computer skills.
See also
In Spanish: Steve Russell para niños
- Early history of video games
