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back to article RIP Charles Wang: Computer Associates cofounder dies aged 74

Charles Wang, the cofounder of Computer Associates – latterly CA Technologies – has died of lung cancer at the age of 74, an attorney representing his family has confirmed. The Chinese-born software baron died at his mansion in Oyster Bay, New York on Sunday 21 October, legal aide John McEntee said via email. In the missive, …

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  1. Duncan Macdonald

    Pity they met

    If Wang had never met Russell Artzt then the world might have been spared Crap Alot.

    1 3 Reply
  2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    They used to joke the Sales team dress code was "Sharkskin Grey"

    To match fin on their backs.

    8 2 Reply
    1. eamonn_gaffey
      Reply Icon

      Re: They used to joke the Sales team dress code was "Sharkskin Grey"

      Sharks is the right analogy. CA treated their 'customers' appalingly, more like cash cows. Their account mamagers were a bunch of spivs, and truly awful people.

      0 0 Reply
  3. tip pc Silver badge

    RIP Wang

    When I worked there CA corporate culture was weird and odd. So glad I left.

    3 0 Reply
  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    wrong story

    “No significant decisions were made without his participation and approval”

    3 0 Reply
  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    On the upside

    Some cancer charity gets a nice piece of change?

    Just saying.

    0 1 Reply
  6. //DLBL SYSRES

    I recall CA-Sort being a massive improvement on the IBM DOS sort. Rapido.

    2 0 Reply
  7. Timbo

    "RIP Charles Wang....dies aged 74.

    Wang, who was born in Shanghai and left China for the US when he was eight, is survived by his wife, three children, three grandchildren, HIS MOTHER and two brothers."

    How old is his mother FFS ??

    0 0 Reply
    1. Scorchio!!
      Reply Icon

      "How old is his mother FFS ??"

      She only needs to be about 18 years older than him. FWIW I am much younger than he was and my mother died July last year, aged 97; only 3 of her 6 children survived, my father died when I was 3, and she fought on as that generation did and some still do.

      4 0 Reply
  8. Balding Greybeard

    Smoker

    If memory serves me correctly, Charles was a smoker. Wonder if lung cancer led to his demise.

    0 9 Reply
    1. phuzz Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: Smoker

      If only it was in the first line of the fucking article.

      Charles Wang, the cofounder of Computer Associates – latterly CA Technologies – has died of lung cancer at the age of 74, an attorney representing his family has confirmed.

      10 0 Reply
  9. DrBobK

    The other Wang

    Not to be confused with Wang Laboratories' AN Wang who did hardware. (I confused them for years)

    4 0 Reply
  10. Uncle Slacky Silver badge

    Obligatory Simpsons reference

    https://frinkiac.com/meme/S05E05/624506.jpg

    2 0 Reply
  11. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    This the same CA who produced SuperCalc4/5? Mighty fine piece of software.

    0 0 Reply
    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      According to my sources (Wikipedia, Google Books, guessing), SuperCalc 4 was indeed released by CA - they bought Sorcim in 1985, and SC4 came out in '86. Wikipedia does say, though, that Sorcim operated as "a largely autonomous division". In any event, I'd guess the Sorcim developers, not any non-Sorcim people at CA, deserve the credit.

      CA's reputation for buying software firms and then letting the products languish is not wholly deserved - I myself have gotten them to fix bugs or add minor features on one or two occasions, and I've seen other enhancements in various iterations of some of their products. But it was never primarily an R&D firm.

      It is a pity that the ungodly mess that is Excel drove competing spreadsheet packages out of business. (On the rare occasions that I want a spreadsheet for personal use, I use OO/LO Calc; but that's not much of an improvement on Excel.)

      2 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      SuperCalc 4

      I have fond memories of SC4 - used it from around 88-94. It wouldn't take much to refresh my grey matter on those slash commands. Simple, intuitive, elegant - just like software should be, unlike that dispicable mess that drove it out of business and still plauges the world today.

      3 0 Reply

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