Niklaus Wirth, Father of Software Design, Passes Away

Niklaus Wirth, the Swiss computer scientist and professor who was known as the father of software design, passed away on 18th February 2021 at the age of 84. He was a pioneer in computer programming and an influential figure in the development of computer science.

Niklaus Wirth was born in Switzerland in 1934 and graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1955. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Zurich in 1960. After working as a research assistant at the University of California, Berkeley, he became an assistant professor of computer science at Stanford University in 1966.

Niklaus Wirth was best known for his contributions to computer programming, particularly for developing modular programming and the programming language Pascal. He also created the computer language Modula-2 and Algol-W, which was a revision of the Algol programming language. He was the author of several influential textbooks on computer programming and computer science, such as Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs and The Programming Language Pascal.

Niklaus Wirth’s work revolutionized computer programming by introducing the concepts of structured programming and object-oriented programming. He also developed the notion of software engineering, which is the practice of developing software systems in a systematic and efficient manner. He was also instrumental in the development of computer graphics and the graphical user interface.

Niklaus Wirth was awarded the prestigious Turing Award in 1984 for his contributions to computer science. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the Japan Prize.

Niklaus Wirth’s legacy in the computer science world will continue to live on. He was an inspiration to generations of computer scientists and his work paved the way for the development of modern computer programming. We will miss his unique vision, innovative ideas, and his sense of humor.

Source: ucodes.me