This is quotes from Fridrich web page. I think if you read it all there is a lot of things in the text pointing at she and a couple of cubing friends developed the OLL and PLL algorithms them self, and also later the F2L. Maybe this system was, just like the cube it self, independently invented by several persons?
To read the whole story visit:
http://www.ws.binghamton.edu/fridrich/history.html#last
“I had one schoolmate from high school who had the same disease - an unconditional love for the Rubik's cube. His name was Ludek Marek. He was using the same system as me, but for some reason he was always trailing about 20 seconds behind me. He once noted while I was solving the cube pointing to my cube: "
Oh, I like this "T" pattern, because when you turn the edges, the whole last layer will actually flip correctly." It was the shortest 6-move that influences only the last layer - the move that perhaps all cubers know.
And that sentence stuck in my mind. It was the germ that later blossomed into the current system. I realized that in the system I was using it was possible to first flip the edges, then the corners, then position edges and position corners. This is because the moves commuted.
So, what if I had an algorithm for all flipping patterns and all permutations? Then I could solve the last layer always in just two algorithms. Alsothe number of patterns was not that big and they were easy to recognize fast. But where to get the algorithms? I already knew some portion of them and I gradually started adding more. Whenever I encountered an orientation that I did not know, I did it the old way - flip edges and then flip corners. And whenever I encountered a permutation for which I did not have an algorithm, I would combine the permutation from the algorithms I already knew. I began improving very steadily as I improved my system and my ability to recognize positions quickly.”
“I decided to publish my system in Mlady Svet. It contained all algorithms for permutations and orientations and a few moves for the F2L. Most people were disappointed to learn that the method is actually quite "complex" requiring a lot of practicing and memorization. Most expected a simple trick that one can explain in a few minutes. What did you say about the free lunch? I remember one really funny story that happened to me on a train when I commuted to college from my home town. A guy was sitting next to me playing with the cube. I asked him about his system. He said: "I am using the Fridrich method." I asked with a surprise in my voice: "You actually memorized ALL algorithms?" His answer was: "No, that's too much. I know only some of them." I replied with: "Well, you need to memorize all of them otherwise you are not really utilizing its strength." He looked at me frawning and said with his mouth half open: "Yeah, so what's your system?" I answered with a big smile: "I use the Fridrich method, too, because I am Fridrich." He did not blink an eye, did not say anything and handed me his messed-up cube. I solved the cube in about 20 seconds to prove my words and we both laughed at the coincidence.”
“I put my system in electronic form on the Internet in January 1997 after I had discussions with Mike Pugh on the Cube Lovers mailing list (one of the oldest mailing lists ever, established in 1980). He persuaded me that making my system available in electronic form would be useful for other cubers. I made copies of my old, now yellowish, notebook and he made those small pictures you now see on my pages.”
