Computer History Museum

Keet, Lee (Ernest E.) Oral History

Ernest E. "Lee" Keet describes the founding of Turnkey Systems in April 1967 and how their business strategy evolved from professional services to software products over the next several years. He describes the release of their product Task/Master, the first commercially available telecommunications monitor to be launched on a worldwide basis, and how the challenges of meeting customer expectations drove the continuous improvement of the product. He reveals how IBM's policy to require customers to use CICS to support products such as DL1 killed the market for independent vendors of telecommunications monitors and how Turnkey Systems made a decision to take Task/Master off the market as a result. He describes the sale of Turnkey Systems to National CSS which was shortly thereafter sold to Dun & Bradstreet and discusses the role of ADAPSO in attempting to define the software industry and address legal and regulatory issues impacting the industry.

Item Details

Date
1986-04-09 (Made)
Type
Document
Catalogue number
102702149
Organization
Computer History Museum
People
Ernest E. Keet (Interviewee)
Luanne Johnson (Interviewer)
Category
Transcript
Credit line
Gift of Johnson, Luanne
Extent
26 p.
Place of publication
North America/USA/TX/Houston
Language
English
Acquisition number
X5558.2010
Subject
ADAPSO, Software AG, ADR, CICS, IBM Unbundling, Dun & Bradstreet
Archive collection
CHM Oral History Collection
Archive hierarchy
CHM Oral History Collection