John Warnock
Co-founder of Adobe and co-creator of PostScript and PDF
- Lived
- 82 yrs
- 1940 – 2023
- Works listed
- 2
- Language, File format
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 2010
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
John Warnock was an American computer scientist who co-founded Adobe with Charles Geschke in 1982. Their PostScript language made desktop publishing possible with the Apple LaserWriter, and Warnock’s “Camelot” project became PDF, the standard format for documents. He died in 2023.
Biography
Utah
Warnock studied mathematics and earned a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Utah in 1969, developing the Warnock algorithm for hidden-surface removal in graphics.
Xerox PARC
At Xerox PARC he and Geschke worked on Interpress, a page-description language. When Xerox did not commercialise it, they left.
Adobe
They founded Adobe in 1982, named after a creek behind Warnock’s house. PostScript, licensed to Apple for the LaserWriter (1985), sparked desktop publishing. Adobe later made Illustrator and Photoshop.
In 1991 Warnock proposed Camelot, which became the Portable Document Format in 1993. He died in August 2023.
Timeline
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1940
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
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1969
PhD from Utah
-
1978
Joins Xerox PARC
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1982
Co-founds Adobe
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1985
PostScript in the Apple LaserWriter
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1987
Adobe Illustrator
-
1993
PDF
-
2023
Dies
-
2023
Died, aged 82
Notable works
-
1984
PostScript Language
With Charles Geschke and others.
-
1993
PDF File format
Awards and honours
-
National Medal of Technology
2008
-
Marconi Prize
2010
Did you know?
-
1
Adobe is named after Adobe Creek in Los Altos.
-
2
He collected rare books.
-
3
He wrote the Camelot memo that became PDF.
Connections
Related people
-
Charles Geschke
Technology · Co-founder of Adobe who co-created PostScript and PDF
Adobe co-founder
-
Steve Jobs
Technology · Co-founder of Apple who launched the Macintosh, iPod and iPhone
Apple licensed PostScript
-
Ivan Sutherland
Science · Father of computer graphics, creator of Sketchpad and the first VR headset
University of Utah graphics programme
Frequently asked
Who is John Warnock?
John Warnock was an American computer scientist who co-founded Adobe with Charles Geschke in 1982. Their PostScript language made desktop publishing possible with the Apple LaserWriter, and Warnock’s “Camelot” project became PDF, the standard format for documents. He died in 2023.
When did John Warnock die?
John Warnock died on 19 August 2023 at the age of 82.
Where is John Warnock from?
John Warnock was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
What is John Warnock known for?
John Warnock is best known for Co-founding Adobe (1982); PostScript; PDF; desktop publishing.
What awards has John Warnock received?
Notable honours include National Medal of Technology (2008), Marconi Prize (2010).
References
- John Warnock — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- John Warnock — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- John Warnock (Q1344392) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “John Warnock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“John Warnock.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/john-warnock
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