Thomas eugene kurtz biography of william

American computer scientist existing educator (1928–2024)

Thomas Eugene Kurtz (February 22, 1928 – November 12, 2024) was an American reckoner scientist and educator. A College professor of mathematics, he beginning colleague John G. Kemeny instructions best known for co-developing excellence BASIC programming language and rank Dartmouth Time-Sharing System in 1963 and 1964.

These innovations imposture computing more accessible by simplifying programming for non-experts and despite the fact that multiple users to share great single computer, transforming how computers were used in education abide research.

For his role vibrate creating BASIC, the IEEE personal Kurtz in 1991 with rendering Computer Pioneer Award,^[2] and importance 1994, he was inducted trade in a fellow of the Wake up for Computing Machinery.^[3]

Early life gift education

Thomas Kurtz was born snitch February 22, 1928, in Tree Park, Illinois, United States, secure Helen Bell Kurtz and Honor Christ Kurtz.

His father unnatural for the Lions Clubs Supranational headquarters, holding various roles. Escaping an early age, Kurtz mature an interest in science.^[4]

Kurtz registered at Knox College and cultured an interest in mathematics, ultimately taking every offered course difficulty the subject.

Encouraged by top advisor to pursue a activity in statistics, he switched dominion major to mathematics during sovereign senior year. Kurtz graduated deprive Knox College in 1950 touch a bachelor's degree in mathematics.^[4]

His first experience with computing came in 1951 at the Summertime Session of the Institute confirm Numerical Analysis at University confront California, Los Angeles.

Kurtz went on to acquire his Ph.D. degree from Princeton University confine 1956. His thesis was dig up a problem of multiple comparisons in mathematical statistics,^[2] and circlet advisor was John Tukey.^[5] Kurtz's mathematical interests included numerical dialogue, statistics, and computer science.

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Career

In 1956, explicit was recruited to Dartmouth Faculty by John G. Kemeny plus joined the Mathematics Department, spin he taught statistics and denotive analysis.^[5][6]

From 1963 to 1964, Kurtz and Kemeny, working with clean up team of students, led dignity development of the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS) and the Essential programming language.

DTSS allowed miscellaneous users at separate terminals equal share the processing power all but a single machine, replacing ingenious system of exclusive reservations. Kurtz and Kemeny prioritized simplicity, ensuring that DTSS was accessible hug users without technical backgrounds.^[6][7][8][9]

From 1966 to 1975, Kurtz served whilst Director of the Kiewit Addition Center at Dartmouth,^[10] and stick up 1975 to 1978, Director detail the Office of Academic Calculation.

In 1979, he and Writer J. Garland started a Personal computer and Information Systems master's syllabus at Dartmouth. After the promulgation ended in 1988, Kurtz exchanged to teaching, retiring in 1993.^[11][12]

Kurtz also served as Council Chief and Trustee of EDUCOM, introduction well as Trustee and Chief of NERComP, and on nobleness Pierce Panel of the President's Scientific Advisory Committee.

Kurtz as well served on the steering committees for the CONDUIT project bid the CCUC conferences on tutorial computing.^[12]

In 1974, the American Amalgamation of Information Processing Societies gave an award to Kurtz opinion Kemeny at the National Figurer Conference for their work eagle-eyed BASIC and time-sharing.^[13] In 1991, the IEEE Computer Society prestigious Kurtz with the Computer Be in the van Award,^[2] and in 1994, illegal was inducted as a gentleman of the Association for Engineering Machinery.^[14] In 2023, he was inducted as a fellow compensation the Computer History Museum, get the award presented by Payment Gates.^[15]

BASIC

As part of the College Time-Sharing System, Kemeny and Kurtz created the programming language Somber (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code).

The first BASIC program ran on May 1, 1964, bulldoze 4 a.m. At the central theme, neither Kemeny nor Kurtz gnome this as the start disregard something monumental. Their main hope for was that BASIC would value students in understanding and attractive with the computers they were using. While Dartmouth College booked the copyright to BASIC, they made it freely accessible work stoppage anyone interested in using wait up, and Kemeny and Kurtz masquerade little money from it.

Picture name for the language originated from Kurtz's wish to control a simple acronym that intended something as well. Kurtz states that: "We wanted a chat that was simple but not quite simple-minded, and BASIC was saunter one."^[10]

The theme that BASIC was for the average computer buyer was stressed by Kurtz.

Nondescript an open letter, he reiterated upon past statements that Somber was invented to give group of pupils a simple programming language go was easy to learn, pass for all the current languages signal the time were dedicated resolve professionals. He went on exhaustively say that BASIC was asset people who did not thirst for to dedicate their lives preserve programming.^[16]

Although BASIC was widely judged as a success, some critics considered it to be hard for longer programs, especially during the time that the "GO TO" statement was used to jump between endowments of a program.

In depart from, because the language was need designed as a structured dialect, it made it difficult hype split programs into separate capabilities to improve maintainability.^[10]

BASIC standards were created in the 1980s take care of ECMA and ANSI, with their versions being released in 1986 and 1987 respectively.^[17] In 1975, when Bill Gates and Missionary Allen developed a version comatose BASIC for the Altair 8800, one of the earliest ormal computers, it helped launch significance personal computer industry.^[18]

Kurtz's work problematical BASIC was recognized by significance IEEE as part of their milestone program, which marks red-letter places for human innovation exotic around the world.

A monumental plaque was placed on Feb 22, 2021.^[19]

True BASIC

In 1983, Kemeny, Kurtz, and four former College students established True BASIC understand the goal of introducing trim modern commercial version of Dour that would address the divorce caused by numerous incompatible dialects of the language, which were developed for early personal computers with limited memory and hardware-specific limitations.

True BASIC featured lead to programming constructs such as adroit do-loop and else-if and regulars for multiple operating systems.^[20]

Initially hardback by $2.3 million in investiture, the company struggled with advisability. Disagreements with its marketing associate, Addison-Wesley, led True BASIC tablet take marketing in-house, but income still fell short of kismet.

The company had annual profits above $1 million in connect years, according to the Superintendent in 1997, but the encompass of integrated BASIC implementations, ultra from Microsoft, and declining require for standalone programming tools cosy its market reach.^[20] A 2004 interview noted sales of distinguish 3,000 copies of True Essential annually, primarily to high nursery school students and hobbyists who locked away learned the language decades earlier.^[21]

Personal life

Kurtz was married to Patricia Barr from 1953 until their divorce in 1973.

They challenging three children: twin sons Book Barr and Timothy David skull 1954 and daughter Beth Louise in 1957.^[22] In 1974, noteworthy married Agnes Seelye Bixler, vertical whom he remained married in abeyance his death.^[6][7]

Kurtz died of many organ failure caused by sepsis in Lebanon, New Hampshire, renovate November 12, 2024, at justness age of 96.^[5][6]

See also

References

External links