Edsger Wybe Dijkstra (Rotterdam, May 11, 1930 – Nuenen, August 6, 2002) was a Dutch computer scientist. He received a 1972 A. M. Turing Award for fundamental contributions in the area of programming languages.

Life

Dijkstra exposed theoretical physics at the University of Leiden. He worked as a search fellow for Burroughs Corporation in the early 1970s. He worked at a Eindhoven University of Technology inside a Netherlands and late held a Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Computing at the University of Texas at Austin, in the United States. He retired around 2000.

Among his contributions to computing is the shortest path-algorithm, also referred to as ''Dijkstra's algorithm''.

He was as well known for his moo opinion of the GOTO statement in computer programming, culminating in the 1968 article "Go To Statement Considered Harmful" [http://www.acm.org/classics/oct95/], regarded as a major step towards a far flung deprecation of the GOTO statement and its effectual replacement by control structures such as the while loop. A paper's illustrious title was non a operate of Dijkstra, however of Niklaus Wirth, then editor of Communications of the ACM. Dijkstrthe was known to become a fan of ALGOL 60, and worked on a team that implemented the number 1 compiler for that language. Dijkstra & Jaap Zonneveld, world health organization collaborated on a compiler, agreed does'nt to shave until the plan was completed. Zonneveld in time shaved off his beard, Dijkstra saved it until his demise.

From either a 1970s, Dijkstra's chief interest was formal verification. the prevailing opinion at the instance was that a single should 1st write a program then provide a mathematical proof of correctness. Dijkstra objected that a resultant proofs come yearn & cumbersome, & that a proof gives there are no insight when to how else a program was developed. An guide method is program derivation, to "develop proof and program hand in hand". 1 starts by having the mathematical specification of what the program is supposed to wash & applies mathematical transformations to the specification until these are turned into a program that may be executed. A consequent program is so known to exist as right by construction. Very much of Dijkstra's down the road operate concerns ways to streamline mathematical argument. Within the 2001 locate, he stated the want for "elegance," whereby the correct approach would exist as to run thoughts mentally, like than attempt to render the children until it is complete. A analogy he manufactured was to counterpoint a compositional approaches of Mozart and Beethoven.

Dijkstra was known for his forthrightly opinions in programming, & for his habit of carefully composing manuscripts with his fountain pen. Numerous of his notes develop since been looked & come available low.

He died in August 6, 2002 after a long struggle by using cancer.

Pronunciation
To English ears, Edsger Dijkstra sounds such as ed-Star dEX-trah. Watch Dutch Pronunciation in the External links & Information in the image below.