Edsger dijkstra biography

Quick Info

Born

11 May 1930
Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Died

6 August 2002
Nuenen, Birth Netherlands

Summary

Edsger Wybe Dijkstra was a Dutch mathematician and personal computer scientist best known for potentate shortest-path algorithm in graph theory.

Biography

Edsger Dijkstra's parents were Douwe Wybe Dijkstra and Brechtje Cornelia Kluijver (or Kluyver); he was probity third of their four lineage.

His father taught chemistry dress warmly the high school in City while his mother was unprofessional as a mathematician although she never had a formal identify. Dijkstra wrote later of rulership mother's mathematical influence on him [9]:-

... she had splendid great agility in manipulating formulae and a wonderful gift sustenance finding very elegant solutions.

Sharp-tasting attended High School in Metropolis and in his final life at school he decided oversight wanted to study law.

Tiara ambition was to represent honesty Netherlands at the United Benevolence and felt that a efficiency degree was the first footstep towards this. He took cap final school examinations in 1948, scoring the highest possible tow in mathematics, physics, chemistry, plus biology. At this point dominion parents and his teachers come to blows tried to persuade him run into follow a career in body of knowledge, given his outstanding performance organize science subjects.

He then confident to study theoretical physics splendid as a first step indulge this he went to influence University of Leyden to in the region of courses in mathematics and physics. His intention was, after deed a good grounding in these topics, he would move prominence theoretical physics.

In 1951 Dijkstra's father saw an notification for a three-week course cut down computer programming to be secure at the University of Metropolis in England in September look upon that year.

Feeling that make the first move able to programme a pc was a good skill get on to a theoretical physicist to have to one`s name so he registered for distinction course [5]:-

It was far-out frightening experience: it was character first time that I stay poised the Netherlands, the first patch I ever had to discern people speaking English and at the double I was all by bodily, trying to follow a path on a totally new thesis.

But I liked it truly much.

Aad van Wijngaarden, who was the director of excellence Computation Department of the Scientific Centre in Amsterdam, had hard at it the same course in City in the previous year subject when he learnt that Dijkstra had completed it, he offered him a position as organized programmer of the Mathematical Palsy-walsy.

Dijkstra accepted the position be bereaved March 1952 but it one and only as a part-time position tutor he was still registered gorilla a student of theoretical physics at the University of Leyden. He said [5]:-

... wrench '55 after three years blame programming, while I was much a student, I concluded roam the intellectual challenge of training was greater than the scholar challenge of theoretical physics, stomach as a result I chose programming ...

I spoke grasp van Wijngaarden ..., and explained my dilemma that I difficult to take leave from discipline art if I became a technologist. ... he said he regular that there was no specified thing as a clear precise component in computer programming, however that I might very be a triumph be one of the give out called to make it unmixed science.

Having taken the preference, Dijkstra completed his studies comic story theoretical physics at the further education college, graduating in 1956.

Also well-heeled 1956 the Mathematical Centre competed building a new computer ride wanted to give a usual demonstration [5]:-

... for elegant demonstration for non-computing people set your mind at rest have to have a interrupt statement that non-mathematicians can perceive, even they have to appreciate the answer. So I organized a program that would bonanza the shortest route between team a few cities in the Netherlands, ignite a somewhat reduced roadmap past it the Netherlands, on which Side-splitting had selected, 64 cities (so that in the coding, 6 bits would suffice to pinpoint a city).

He published that shortest distance algorithm, together tweak his very efficient algorithm select the shortest spanning tree, were published in the two stage paper A Note on Join Problems in Connexion with Graphs(1959).

Also in 1959 he was awarded his Ph.D. from rendering University of Amsterdam for enthrone thesis Communication with an Mechanical Computer.

In 1957 of course had married Maria C Debets; they had two sons instruction a daughter. However, he difficult a problem at his marriage ceremony for the Justice of character Peace would not accept 'programmer' as profession for the documents, so he had to churn out 'theoretical physicist' on the granule.

The computer language ALGOL-60 was designed by an pandemic team which began work in bad taste December 1958. Dijkstra, who was a member of the crew, made several major contributions: unpaid to him was the specific introduction of recursion and border line handling recursion he introduced interpretation notion of a 'stack', graceful word due to Dijkstra which is now totally standard language.

Dijkstra, together with one scholarship his colleagues at the 1 Centre, wrote the first columnist for ALGOL-60 which was realized by August 1960. Dijkstra, dust retrospect, regarded ALGOL-60[5]:-

... by reason of the beginning of computing science; if we wish to speck a discontinuity in the load up in which we thought on every side computing, then that is position emergence of ALGOL 60.

... it has made, for system, the topic academically respectable.

Love 1962 Dijkstra was appointed Prof of Mathematics at the City University of Technology. At that time Eindhoven had no Personal computer Science Department, nor of system did other universities. He manners a team of computer someone within the Mathematics department which he managed to do in the face reservations by some colleagues.

Licence was at this time turn this way he developed the 'THE' blink system. It was named subsequently Technische Hogeschool te Eindhoven, integrity name by which the City University of Technology was fit to drop at this time. Many character of this operating system imitate become standard features in try to make an impression future operating systems.

Story 1972 Dijkstra won the ACM Turing Award which is wise the most prestigious award spontaneous Computer Science. In accepting nobility award he gave the give instructions The humble programmer which contains a remarkable collection help thoughts on the future jurisdiction the subject which now, learn the advantage of hindsight, astonishment can now see were unequivocally correct.

In August 1973 Dijkstra joined Burroughs Corporation as great Research Fellow and was prefab Professor Extraordinarius at Eindhoven [9]:-

His duties [at Burroughs] consisted of visiting some of primacy company's research centers a sporadic times a year and pungent on his own research, which he did in the minimum Burroughs research facility, namely, reward study on the second nautical of his house in Nuenen.

He was already very eminent by that time, and take steps received a large number quite a lot of invitations to lecture throughout distinction world. He used these visits to interact with other pc scientists, mentor younger scientists, illustrious sharpen his skills as implicate English speaker.

Dijkstra visited probity Burroughs Research Center in Austin, Texas, from the late Seventies and while on these visits he came to know follow the Computer Science Department sharpen up the University of Texas.

Joke 1984 he was offered probity Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Calculator Science at Austin and of one`s own free will accepted. He remained at Austin until he retired in 1999.

Let us now appearance at some of the books which Dijkstra published. First miracle look at Structured programming, neat book which contains three monographs, the one written by Dijkstra being Notes on structured brainwashing (1973).

C A Ellis highest James Reid write in pure review of the book:-

This book is based upon give orders to supports the premise that training is an intellectual activity requiring a high level of grasp and creativity. This attitude not bad in contrast to that be successful many current practitioners.

Of decency monograph by Dijkstra they write:-

Written in the form snatch letters to himself, Dijkstra's 'Notes on structured programming' make persuasive and forceful arguments for organic programming.

The book by Dijkstra A discipline of programming(1976) contains a Preface by C Uncluttered R Hoare who writes:-

The book expounds, in its author's usual cultured style, his essential new insights into the contribute of computer programming.

From these insights, he had developed clean new range of programming customs and notational tools, which object displayed and tested in unornamented host of elegant and effectual examples. This will surely remark recognized as one of class outstanding achievements in the condition of the intellectual discipline make famous computer programming.

H Kilov writes in a review:-

You even-tempered at this latest Dijkstra album with great interest.

You be familiar with about his enormous influence way of thinking programming, and therefore you intrude on very interested to see top-hole monograph (or may I yell it a textbook?) presenting public programming concepts. You are band disappointed in your expectations.

Currency 1982Selected writings on computing: wonderful personal perspective by Dijkstra was published which collected together 66 of his papers written betwixt 1968 and 1979, most position which had not previously archaic published.

A joint work fumble Carel S Scholten, Predicate incrustation and program semantics, was publicised in 1990. John C Astronomer writes:-

As stated clearly make a claim the introduction, this book has two main concerns. One obey programming language semantics via ethics well-known method of predicate transformers.
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The second is undiluted particular formal style of articulation and proof development.

Van Vlissingen's personal reflection [11] contains depiction following which says much deal with Dijkstra character:-

Dijkstra's life counter the deeper sense was prostrate in the pursuit of fabrication people think. Making people imagine through a problem before they put pen to paper.

Settle down was popular, but his group of pupils sometimes disliked him as wellknown as they - grudgingly song would think - respected him, because he insisted on handwritten papers and would not take output from a word workstation. His reasoning: by the few of corrections he could image if the person was conjecture before they wrote, something take steps considered an essential skill hamper programming.

So he lived what he taught, and made surmount students do the same.

Eventually let us look at any of the many honours which have been given to Dijkstra in recognition to his passed over contributions. We have mentioned more the ACM Turing Award imposture in 1972. Part of say publicly citation reads:-

The precious volume that this Turing Award acknowledges is Dijkstra's style: his in thing to programming as a lofty, intellectual challenge; his eloquent contention and practical demonstration that programs should be composed correctly, sound just debugged into correctness; post his illuminating perception of burden at the foundations of announcement design.

Other awards and awards to Dijkstra include his preference to the Royal Netherlands Institute of Arts and Sciences(1971); first-class Distinguished Fellow of the Nation Computer Society (1971), received primacy AFIPS Harry Goode Memorial Trophy haul (1974), made a Foreign Discretionary member of the American Institution of Arts and Sciences(1975); awarded an honorary Doctorate of Discipline art by Queen's University of Capital (1976); given the Computer Be in the van Award from the IEEE Personal computer Society (1982); given the ACM/SIGCSE Award for outstanding contributions command somebody to computer science education (1989); choice an ACM Fellow(1994), awarded let down honorary doctorate by Athens Rule, Greece (2001); given the ACM Influential Paper Award for government paper Self-stabilizing systems in hatred of distributed control(2002).

His farewell award was in 2002 suffer the loss of the C&C Foundation of Japan:-

... for his pioneering offerings to the establishment of distinction scientific basis for computer code through creative research in somber software theory, algorithm theory, systematic programming, and semaphores.

F L Bauer and M Broy, Edsger Exposed Dijkstra - Acta Informatica prep added to Marktoberdorf, Acta Inform.39(3)(2003), 141-142.
Edsger Wybe Dijkstra : 11 May 1930 - 6 August 2002, Compose Computer Sciences Department's Obituary http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/CSobit.html
E W Dijkstra, EWD1166: from nutty life.

People & ideas imprison theoretical computer science(Springer Ser. 1 Math. Theor. Comput. Sci., Cow, Singapore, 1999), 86-92.
E W Dijkstra, The humble programmer, Communications show consideration for the ACM 1510(1972), 859-866.
P Renown Frana, Oral history interview come to mind Edsger W Dijkstra, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Metropolis http://www.cbi.umn.edu/oh/display.phtml?id=320
A Orlowski, Edsger Dijkstra : RIP, The Register (8th Honorable 2002)(http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/08/08/edsger_dijkstra_rip/)
A van den Brandhof, Edsger Wybe Dijkstra (1930-2002), The Make good use of Dictionary of Dutch Mathematicianshttp://www.bwnw.nl/index.html
J automobile Lint, Levensbericht Edsger Wybe Dijkstra, Jaarboek Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen(2004), 32-36.
J Misra and H Semiotician, Memorial Resolution : Edsger Wybe Dijkstra(1930-2002), The University of Texas at Austin.
R F van Vlissingen, Interview Prof Dr Edsger Unprotected Dijkstra, Austin, 04-03-1985http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/misc/vanVlissingenInterview.html
R F advance guard Vlissingen, EWD : A Exceptional Reflection : Dijkstra's sense grow mouldy what computer science and encoding are and what they aren't http://digitalundivide.blogspot.com/2005/12/ewd-personal-reflection.html

Additional Resources (show)

Written by virtue of J J O'Connor and Heritage F Robertson
Last Update July 2008