Agilis Corporation
John Ellenby | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Corbridge, Northumberland, England |
| Died | August 17, 2016 (aged 75) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, computer engineer |
| Known for | Founder of Grid Systems Corporation; developer of Grid Compass; co-founder of GeoVector |
John Ellenby (9 January 1941 – 17 August 2016) was a British entrepreneur recognized for founding Grid Systems Corporation and developing the Grid Compass, one of the earliest commercially viable laptop computer models. Additionally, he co-established GeoVector, a pioneering firm in the field of augmented reality.
Biography
Ellenby was born in Corbridge, Northumberland, England. He pursued studies in geography and economics at University College London and was introduced to mainframe computing during a year spent at the London School of Economics in the early 1960s. Initially, he worked with British company Ferranti on minicomputer projects before relocating to California in the 1970s to join Xerox. There, he oversaw the development of the Alto and Alto II desktop computers. In 1978, Ellenby and Tim Mott aimed to commercialize the Alto, but due to budget limitations, the initiative was discontinued.
In 1979, Ellenby teamed up with former colleagues from Xerox PARC to launch Grid Systems Corporation, securing $13 million in funding from Wall Street venture capitalists. By 1982, Grid introduced the Grid Compass, notable for its clamshell design that has become a standard for laptops; this device was utilized aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. The company was acquired by the Tandy Corporation in 1988. The Compass’s design is said to have been influenced by Ellenby's own briefcase.
Ellenby founded Agilis Corporation in 1987 and held the position of President until 1990; during this period, Agilis released handheld computers equipped with integrated Ethernet ports in 1989. Subsequently, he established GeoVector, concentrating on augmented reality technologies. John Ellenby passed away on 17 August 2016 in San Francisco.
External links
- In memory of John Ellenby [1]