Niklaus Wirth
Niklaus Wirth
Niklaus Emil Wirthis a Swiss computer scientist, best known for designing several programming languages, including Pascal, and for pioneering several classic topics in software engineering. In 1984 he won the Turing Award, generally recognized as the highest distinction in computer science, for developing a sequence of innovative computer languages...
NationalitySwiss
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth15 February 1934
CountrySwitzerland
Niklaus Wirth quotes about
time effort quality
I am convinced that there is a need for high quality software, and the time will come when it will be recognized that it is worth investing effort in its development and in using a careful, structured approach based on safe, structured languages.
code-quality program should
Programs should be written and polished until they acquire publication quality.
steps construction program
Program construction consists of a sequence of refinement steps.
tests systematic candidates
It is evidently necessary to generate and test candidates for solutions in some systematic manner.
statements
Go To statement considered harmful.
hands long problem
During the process of stepwise refinement, a notation which is natural to the problem in hand should be used as long as possible.
programming faster software
Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster.
teacher teaching simple
My being a teacher had a decisive influence on making language and systems as simple as possible so that in my teaching, I could concentrate on the essential issues of programming rather than on details of language and notation.
teacher duty educate
My duty as a teacher is to train, educate future programmers.
designer program interest
Reliable and transparent programs are usually not in the interest of the designer.
beautiful successful ideas
The idea that one might derive satisfaction from his or her successful work, because that work is ingenious, beautiful, or just pleasing, has become ridiculed.
engineering woe tools
Indeed, the woes of Software Engineering are not due to lack of tools, or proper management, but largely due to lack of sufficient technical competence.
adding ultimate
Our ultimate goal is extensible programming (EP). By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.
activity certain creative examples exhibit serving taught
The creative activity of programming - to be distinguished from coding - is usually taught by examples serving to exhibit certain techniques.