# John Warnock

> John Edward Warnock (1940-2023) was an American computer scientist and Adobe co-founder whose work on PostScript and advocacy for PDF helped change printing and document exchange. A University of Utah graduate, photographer, painter and rare-book collector, he combined mathematical research with a sustained interest in how people create and share images.

- **Role:** Late co-founder and former chairman and CEO at Adobe
- **Organizations:** Adobe, Xerox PARC, Evans & Sutherland, IBM, University of Utah, Computer History Museum, Octavo
- **From:** Salt Lake City, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, mathematics and philosophy, University of Utah, MS, mathematics, University of Utah, PhD, electrical engineering, University of Utah
- **Known for:** Co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Charles Geschke., Helped create PostScript, a page-description language used in digital printing., Conceived the Camelot approach and championed the development and adoption of PDF.

## Career timeline

- **1961** — Completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah.
- **1963** — Joined IBM, according to his oral history.
- **1964** — Completed his mathematics master’s degree.
- **1969** — Completed his doctorate, developing a hidden-surface algorithm for computer graphics.
- **1978** — Joined Xerox PARC, where he worked with Charles Geschke.
- **1982** — Co-founded Adobe with Geschke; PostScript became its first product.
- **1985** — Apple’s LaserWriter brought Adobe PostScript to desktop publishing.
- **1987** — Adobe released Illustrator.
- **1991** — Camelot proposal described the approach that became PDF; Warnock dated it to 1991 in his oral history.
- **1993** — Adobe launched Acrobat and PDF on June 15.
- **2000** — Stepped down as Adobe CEO; retired from active management in early 2001.
- **2002** — Became a Computer History Museum Fellow.
- **2003** — Received the Bodley Medal.
- **2009** — Received the 2008 National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the October 7 White House ceremony, jointly with Geschke.
- **2010** — Shared the Marconi Prize with Geschke.
- **2017** — Ended his tenure as co-chairman; continued as an Adobe director.
- **2023** — Died on August 19, aged 82.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Charles Geschke.
- Helped create PostScript, a page-description language used in digital printing.
- Conceived the Camelot approach and championed the development and adoption of PDF.
- Developed the Warnock hidden-surface algorithm in computer graphics.
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996.
- Computer History Museum Fellow, 2002.
- Bodley Medal recipient, 2003.
- Shared the 2008 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, presented in 2009.
- Shared the 2010 Marconi Prize with Geschke.

## Latest updates

- **2023-08** — Adobe announced Warnock’s death on August 19; he had continued serving on its board.
- **2023-08** — The Computer History Museum released his two-part oral history while publishing a remembrance.
- **2023-01** — John and Marva Warnock attended the Adobe Experience Museum ribbon cutting in San Jose.

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-warnock
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14