Butler Lampson (born 1943) is an American computer scientist who helped develop the Xerox Alto and pioneered personal computing. His contributions to operating systems, networking, and security earned him the Turing Award.
Xerox PARC
At PARC, Lampson led development of systems that defined modern computing:
- Alto: First GUI-based personal computer
- Bravo: WYSIWYG word processor
- Ethernet: Local area networking
- Laser printing
Systems Contributions
Lampson’s work spans fundamental systems areas:
- Operating system design principles
- Computer security concepts
- Programming language implementation
- Distributed systems
”Hints for Computer System Design”
Lampson’s influential paper distilled wisdom about building computer systems. Its principles—like “make the common case fast”—guide system design decades later.
Recognition
Lampson received the Turing Award in 1992 for contributions to personal computing. He later worked at DEC and Microsoft Research, continuing systems research.
Legacy
Though Xerox failed to commercialize PARC’s innovations, Lampson’s technical work defined what personal computers became. His research papers continue to influence how systems are built.