All Zipped Up

Phillip Katz, the inventor of the software PKZIP (at least now we know what PK stands for) died ten years ago this week, on 14-April 2000. Just think of all the exciting crap he’s missed in the last ten years! He was born on November 11, 1962, exactly one month after Mr. Ass was born, so now you know when to buy me a gift. According to Wiki, Phillip was born on the day that the term “personal computer” was first used by the media. Somewhat ironic, don’t you think, even if the reference is a little vague: which media, who said it, etc.? And what did they, meaning the media, envision as a “personal” computer back then? One that fit in the guest bedroom and cost more than the house? Anyway, Phillip invented this great software, PKZIP, which was created for compressing data files before sending them across archaic Internet links. The good news today is that Internet links are bigger and faster but the bad news is that the files are even bigger so still we need tools like PKZIP. After he invented it, Phillip’s software was in turn hacked and stolen by other computer programmers and he ended up drinking himself to death. Not sure if that was the reason, but it makes a guy wonder. It’s a bad world out there sometimes. Despite this, Happy belated Death Day, Phillip.