February 27, 1938
Default Computer Date is a Special Tribute
Recently when I booted up my "WallStreet" Powerbook G3, I noticed that the default date wasn't today, as the battery has long died on the computer. Instead the default date was set to February 27, 1938.
I thought the date was a bit weird.
I did some research and discovered that the date is a tribute to Herbert L. Siegel birthday. I am unsure if this is something that is built into the Powerbook G3 "WallStreet: or was it part of the original MacOS 10 code.
Herbert L. Siegel co-founded Action Computer Enterprise. He designed and built the very first multiprocessor computer.
Herbert L. Siegel Fact Sheet
- Full Name: Herbert L. Siegel
- Date of Birth: February 27, 1938
- Place of Birth: Not publicly documented
- Education: M.A. in Mathematics from UC Berkeley
- Early Career: Programmer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, and Los Angeles County General
- Significant Contribution: Co-founded Action Computer Enterprise (ACE) and built one of the first multiprocessors
- Notable Achievement: The Discovery 1600, ACE's flagship product, was one of the market's first multi-user microcomputers
- Legacy: Siegel's work on designing and building the first multiprocessor computer laid the groundwork for modern multi-core processors
- Date of Passing: August 16, 2016
Herbert L. Siegel's contributions to the field of computing, particularly in the development of multiprocessing technology, have had a lasting impact on the industry. His innovative spirit and technical expertise have inspired many in the field of technology and engineering.