Mitch Kapor finally completes MIT master's degree after 45-year detour

The man behind Lotus 1-2-3 and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has wrapped up a master's degree at MIT Sloan, decades after dropping out to help kickstart the PC software boom. Mitchell David Kapor has a pretty impressive CV already. He started several important organizations, including Lotus Development Corporation, …

[Anonymous Coward]

Congratulations

These pesky unfinished theses keep hounting you in the back of your mind until you finish them.

I suspect he will be more tranquil now he finished that one.

[Ace2]

Seen on a t-shirt: “Being 20 in the 70’s was more fun than being 70 in the 20’s”

[Like a badger]

For all the condemnation

...of spreadsheets, I'll take my hat off to Mr Kapor for his work on 1-2-3. There are many valid and appropriate uses for spreadsheets, and any misuse has to be laid at the feet of the misusers.

[PhilipN]

Re: For all the condemnation

One of the kickstarters of the PC revolution.

And fond memories of Agenda, even after it had been wrangled and mangled by OBM for OS/2 for which they gave out a handy suite of apps.

[GBE]

Except he doesn't have an MBA

making him arguably the most accomplished "MBA" in the world.

According to the Wikipedia page, he isn't an MBA.

He's got an MS not an MBA.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Except he doesn't have an MBA

Indeed, MIT did not have them when he enrolled. Instead, he got a Master of Science in Management Studies.

However, the M in MBA is also a Master, but now in "Business Administration". To me, that sounds like an insignificant difference.

But that probably just reflects my general opinion on MBAs.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Except he doesn't have an MBA

He probably doesn't need it for his CV.

[Liam Proven]

Re: Except he doesn't have an MBA

> According to the Wikipedia page, he isn't an MBA.

The title of the link is from the MIT prof who invited him to give the lecture. It's not mine.

An MIT Sloan MSMS (Master of Science in Management Studies) is equivalent.

I really do recommend following the links in my stories. For me to rephrase thousands of words daily would waste hours and make my articles overlong.

The way it works is this: if I link to it _in the first para_ then it's basically a citation: it shows this thing happened. Any link _after_ that adds context or explanation for which I didn't have room.

[elDog]

Ahhh. There's hope for me yet!

I started my BS (EE) in 1966 and still haven't finished it. Went on to teach, work in the nascent Computer Science department, get several jobs in the US defense, energy, intelligence world. Parlayed a total lack of credentials into many other commercial, non-profit, and profit-losing ventures.

Wonder how the uni would look at this doddering old fool coming in to restart his degree.

[Lon24]

Re: Ahhh. There's hope for me yet!

Well last week went into the attic to find my thesis c1972. Couldn't follow it. Mathematical ability doesn't always age well >:-(

[Uncle Slacky]

Re: Ahhh. There's hope for me yet!

About 12 years ago I retyped my final-year physics B.Sc.project from my original handwritten notes to create an "electronic" version to put up on t'interwebs, the original having been typed the old-fashioned way (in the early 90s, poor starving student unable to afford campus printing facilities etc. etc.) and the only hard copy having been lost to the ages when the physics department moved (yes, I did ask them!). I actually got (much) better results than I thought (and presented) at the time, having had more time to go over the equations...

[Anonymous Coward]

A childhood friend of mine dropped out of college because he was making so much money on his own in computers.

He now owns a computer and mobile forensics company and is an expert witness in court cases involving the same.

[Will Godfrey]

All of which goes to show...

It doesn't pay to rush these things.