Dr. Dobb's Journal - April 2008 - (Page 16)

D04LEAD_p3ds.qxp 2/13/08 8:42 AM Page 16 Strategic Vision by Michael Swaine Dr Dobb’s . Excellence in Programming Award 2008 Bjarne Stroustrup Honoring someone whose values, efforts, and achievements are an inspiration to all programmers Dr. Dobb’s Excellence in Programming Award is annually bestowed on individuals who, in the spirit of innovation and cooperation, have made significant contributions to the advancement of software development. The first award was given out in 1995, recognizing two individuals: Alexander Stepanov, for his work on the C++ Standard Template Library, and Linus Torvalds, for creating Linux. It is particularly pertinent that the first Dr. Dobb’s Excellence in Programming Award acknowledged work specifically related to the C++ programming language. With on the order of a million users, C++ is one of the most widely used programming languages ever, and a number of subsequent recipients also did their award-winning work in C++. The influence of C++ on modern programming practice is incalculable. Features that first saw mainstream use in C++ can be seen in newer languages such as C# and Java, not to mention the newest versions of older languages such as C and Fortran, and systems such as CORBA and COM. Anyone who has used a computer or spent time on the Internet has almost certainly used a program written in C++. C++ is the primary language used by many programmers in telecommunications. C++ code is embedded in devices from cameras to elevators, and by some measures more game developers use it than any other language. This year’s recipient of the Dr. Dobb’s Excellence in Programming Award is the inventor of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup. 16 Dr. Dobb’s Journal l www.ddj.com l April 2008 To have created one of the world’s dominant programming languages, one adopted by millions of programmers worldwide, a language that has helped to promote object-oriented programming like no other, is sufficient reason to be recognized with an award. But in selecting Bjarne Stroustrup for this award, we are recognizing more than the creation of a widely used and influential programming tool. We also honor someone whose values, efforts, and achievements are an inspiration to all programmers. Those values have been evident throughout his life. The son of an upholsterer and a secretary, Stroustrup was born, grew up, and went to university in the coastal city of Aarhus in Denmark, where he earned the Danish equivalent of a Masters degree in mathematics and computer science in 1975. His proclivity to bridge academic and pragmatic work in computer science was evident even then. While pursuing his degree, he did contract programming for Aarhus businesses: accounting, payroll, billing, mortgage calculation. By the time Stroustrup had earned his degree, more than one in four mortgages in Denmark were being calculated using software written by this hard-working undergraduate. This real-world experience appealed to Stroustrup. It spoke to his working-class roots and to his intense work ethic. Although he did well in the math- and theory-heavy academic atmosphere of university computer science, he was at least equally drawn to software as “something that you build and is used in the real world. Being able to help that guy—it’s something concrete,” he told author Steve Lohr, who interviewed him for the book Go To. “I always like to build http://www.ddj.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Dr. Dobb's Journal - April 2008

Dr. Dobb's Journal - April 2008 Contents Hmmmm Alia Vox Developer Diaries Dr. Dobb's Excellence in Programming Award Conversations Fast String Search on Multicore Processors The Byzantine Generals Problem Optimizing Math-Intensive Applications with Fixed-Point Arithmetic Random Numbers in a Range Using Generic Programming The Agile Edge Effective Concurrency Swaine's Flames

Dr. Dobb's Journal - April 2008

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