2006-01-31
Dijkstra
I’m not really the person to have idols. But there is someone that I really admire. Edsger W. Dijkstra is one of the higher gods of the computer science pantheon. I would have liked to meet him and work with him. Unfortunately he died in 2002. Dijkstra has invented several fundamental principles in computer programming (the semaphore and the shortest path algorithm). But above all he had a vision on computer programming; a mathematical approach with emphasis on simplicity and elegance.
I can try to explain it, but you can better watch the video 'Denken als discipline' made by VPRO Noorderlicht. You should also read his parable on computer programming. It is very illustrative. It’s one of the 1300 EWD’s (notes) he has written. Have you ever been wondering why software is so expensive? Well read this.
By the way, there is also one EWD on the theorem of Pythagoras. Reading it is quite inspiring, but makes me feel very humble too.
I can try to explain it, but you can better watch the video 'Denken als discipline' made by VPRO Noorderlicht. You should also read his parable on computer programming. It is very illustrative. It’s one of the 1300 EWD’s (notes) he has written. Have you ever been wondering why software is so expensive? Well read this.
By the way, there is also one EWD on the theorem of Pythagoras. Reading it is quite inspiring, but makes me feel very humble too.
# posted by Sander @ 22:43 
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Hi Iris!
I'm just curious. Did you react like the programmer, the mathematician or the manager? How does a cognitive scientist think? Trial and error, continuous simplification, or ...?
I'm just curious. Did you react like the programmer, the mathematician or the manager? How does a cognitive scientist think? Trial and error, continuous simplification, or ...?
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