About The Computer Language Company (The CLC)

The Computer Language Company was founded in 1978 by husband-wife team Alan Freedman and Irma Morrison. The Encyclopedia was conceived soon after when Freedman couldn't find a computer dictionary that would intelligently augment the computer literacy classes he taught to non-technical managers in Fortune 500 companies.

Armed with the knowledge that he knew the "important" terms to define, he set out on a quest to purchase his first computer and write this "glaringly missing" reference for lay people. The year 1980 was explosive for personal computers, and buzzwords were everywhere. The self-published, 300-term, 60-page The Computer Glossary, It's Not Just a Glossary! was an outstanding success in more than 500 seminars taught by Freedman and others. Within a few years, writing the dictionary became a full-time job, and after 25 years, 300 terms have grown to more than 20,000. In addition, more than 2,500 images make this the most comprehensive computer reference available.

Every Company Has Contributed

Although Freedman either writes or edits almost every definition in the Encyclopedia, hundreds of outstanding professionals have provided technical assistance, charts, diagrams and photographs over the years. Every major computer company in the industry has contributed to Computer Desktop Encyclopedia and continues to do so whenever an image is required or a concept needs explanation. Although channeled into print by one person, the Encyclopedia is a collaboration of the best professionals in the field.

   Freedman and Morrison
   The CLC was founded by husband-wife
   team Alan Freedman and Irma Morrison.
   In 1978, they established the company in
   a loft in New York that they renovated
   near Penn Station. Eight years later,
   they migrated to beautiful Bucks County,
   Pennsylvania, after building with their own
   hands the country house they now live in.
   They have one son, three daughters
   and three grandchildren.

Data Processing in 1960
Alan Freedman started in the industry when computers were fed with punch cards. Shown here in 1960 running an IBM sorter, he learned data processing from the ground up.