Alan B. Oppenheimer
Alan B. Oppenheimer is the creator of the mobile app Art Authority Museum, president and founder of Art Authority LLC and Open Door Networks, Inc. From 1983 to 1994, he worked for Apple, Inc. where he helped design the AppleTalk network system for the original Macintosh computer. He also played a key role in the production of the LaserWriter printer, AppleTalk Remote Access, AppleShare file server and the Apple Internet Router. Alan is author of several books and runs the with his wife.
Education
A graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983, his graduate thesis was “A Local Area Disk Server for RT-11.”. Per the abstract, his thesis focused on “the potential of the fast-growing field of Local Area Networking… explored through the creation of an Ethernet-based disk server for the popular standalone RT-11 operating system.”Apple, Inc.
After graduating from MIT, Alan was hired to work for Apple Inc. in 1983. His team was responsible for creating a network for a low-cost computer project called the Macintosh led by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Oppenheimer was responsible for AppleTalk's protocols in the Macintosh and the LaserWriter printer. Initial sales of the Macintosh computer were strong but follow up sales were relatively weak. However, it is suggested that the LaserWriter printer was responsible for the success of the Macintosh because it was the world's first reasonably priced PostScript laser printer.During his tenure at Apple, Inc. from 1983 to 1995, Oppenheimer also worked on AppleShare, the Apple Internet Router and Apple Remote Access. Regarding the creative energy of the company at the time: "As a kid right out of school I didn’t realize how exciting it was. It was like a rookie going to the World Series in his first season.”
Art Authority
“ started out as media viewing software application for Apple's iOS and Macintosh, and Amazon's Kindle Fire." Best described as "a virtual museum," the app allows users to access a collection of classic western paintings and sculptures by hundreds of artists. At launch, it offered nearly 40,000 high-resolution images of classic works of art. Built specifically for the iPad, Art Authority was described as “an experience unlike any other” when it was released in 2010. The app was one of the first art-related apps made available on the App Store. Since its release, it has consistently been referenced as a Top-10 productIn 2014, Art Authority expanded its offerings by adding a feature that allowed users to purchase and access art prints, marking the beginning of a broader effort by Oppenheimer and Open Door Networks to bridge digital art with physical works. This transition led to the formation of Art Authority LLC and the acquisition of 1000Museums, an online platform that works in partnership with museums worldwide to offer high-quality reproductions of artwork for purchase, enabling users to engage with art in both digital and tangible forms. The Art Authority Museum was a natural extension of this work when Apple shipped its Vision Pro headset.