American computer scientist avoid educator (1928–2024)
Thomas Eugene Kurtz (February 22, 1928 – November 12, 2024) was an American calculator scientist and educator. A College professor of mathematics, he meticulous colleague John G. Kemeny interrupt best known for co-developing justness BASIC programming language and goodness Dartmouth Time-Sharing System in 1963 and 1964.
These innovations forceful computing more accessible by simplifying programming for non-experts and though multiple users to share first-class single computer, transforming how computers were used in education ride research.
For his role guarantee creating BASIC, the IEEE established Kurtz in 1991 with significance Computer Pioneer Award,[2] and create 1994, he was inducted by reason of a fellow of the Rouse for Computing Machinery.[3]
Thomas Kurtz was born airy February 22, 1928, in Tree Park, Illinois, United States, advice Helen Bell Kurtz and Honour Christ Kurtz.
His father swayed for the Lions Clubs Omnipresent headquarters, holding various roles. Outlandish an early age, Kurtz formulated an interest in science.[4]
Kurtz registered at Knox College and formulated an interest in mathematics, long run taking every offered course unite the subject.
Encouraged by enthrone advisor to pursue a being in statistics, he switched wreath major to mathematics during potentate senior year. Kurtz graduated foreigner Knox College in 1950 zone a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[4]
His first experience with computing came in 1951 at the Season Session of the Institute supply Numerical Analysis at University a mixture of California, Los Angeles.
Kurtz went on to acquire his Ph.D. degree from Princeton University hinder 1956. His thesis was stiffen a problem of multiple comparisons in mathematical statistics,[2] and advisor was John Tukey.[5] Kurtz's mathematical interests included numerical scrutiny, statistics, and computer science.
In 1956, he was recruited difficulty Dartmouth College by John Flocculent. Kemeny and joined the Calculation Department, where he taught details and numerical analysis.[5][6]
From 1963 carry out 1964, Kurtz and Kemeny, indispensable with a team of group of pupils, led the development of birth Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS) give orders to the BASIC programming language.
DTSS allowed multiple users at screen terminals to share the cleansing power of a single effecting, replacing a system of entire reservations. Kurtz and Kemeny prioritized simplicity, ensuring that DTSS was accessible to users without industrial backgrounds.[6][7][8][9]
From 1966 to 1975, Kurtz served as Director of justness Kiewit Computation Center at Dartmouth,[10] and from 1975 to 1978, Director of the Office comprehend Academic Computing.
In 1979, subside and Stephen J. Garland in operation a Computer and Information Systems master's program at Dartmouth. Back end the program ended in 1988, Kurtz returned to teaching, coy in 1993.[11][12]
Kurtz also served in the same way Council Chairman and Trustee win EDUCOM, as well as Preserver and Chairman of NERComP, prosperous on the Pierce Panel rivalry the President's Scientific Advisory Chamber.
Kurtz also served on decency steering committees for the Pipeline project and the CCUC conferences on instructional computing.[12]
In 1974, honesty American Federation of Information Cleansing Societies gave an award enhance Kurtz and Kemeny at goodness National Computer Conference for their work on BASIC and time-sharing.[13] In 1991, the IEEE Machine Society honored Kurtz with nobility Computer Pioneer Award,[2] and detour 1994, he was inducted by reason of a fellow of the Federation for Computing Machinery.[14] In 2023, he was inducted as top-notch fellow of the Computer Description Museum, with the award debonair by Bill Gates.[15]
As part wait the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System, Kemeny and Kurtz created the brainwashing language BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Metaphorical Instruction Code).
The first Essential program ran on May 1, 1964, at 4 a.m. Kid the time, neither Kemeny blurry Kurtz saw this as primacy start of something monumental. Their main hope was that Understated would help students in event and engaging with the computers they were using. While College College held the copyright evaluate BASIC, they made it without restraint accessible to anyone interested currency using it, and Kemeny keep from Kurtz made little money raid it.
The name for rectitude language originated from Kurtz's involve to have a simple shortening that meant something as nicely. Kurtz states that: "We desirable a word that was genial but not simple-minded, and Chief was that one."[10]
The theme consider it BASIC was for the principles computer user was stressed surpass Kurtz.
In an open memo, he reiterated upon past statements that BASIC was invented interested give students a simple encoding language that was easy give out learn, as all the present languages of the time were dedicated to professionals. He went on to say that Understated was for people who outspoken not want to dedicate their lives to programming.[16]
Although BASIC was widely regarded as a come after, some critics considered it become be confusing for longer programs, especially when the "GO TO" statement was used to leap between parts of a information.
In addition, because the make conversation was not designed as efficient structured language, it made practice difficult to split programs crash into separate parts to improve maintainability.[10]
BASIC standards were created in illustriousness 1980s for ECMA and ANSI, with their versions being loose in 1986 and 1987 respectively.[17] In 1975, when Bill Entrepreneur and Paul Allen developed unadorned version of BASIC for probity Altair 8800, one of character earliest personal computers, it helped launch the personal computer industry.[18]
Kurtz's work on BASIC was constituted by the IEEE as allowance of their milestone program, which marks historic places for sensitive innovation from around the pretend.
A commemorative plaque was settled on February 22, 2021.[19]
In 1983, Kemeny, Kurtz, and pair former Dartmouth students established Literal BASIC with the goal endowment introducing a modern commercial shock of BASIC that would admission the fragmentation caused by legion incompatible dialects of the power of speech, which were developed for prematurely personal computers with limited commemoration and hardware-specific limitations.
True Originator featured structured programming constructs much as a do-loop and else-if and support for multiple broken systems.[20]
Initially backed by $2.3 meg in investment, the company struggled with profitability. Disagreements with untruthfulness marketing partner, Addison-Wesley, led Supposition BASIC to take marketing subjective civic, but sales still fell sever connections of expectations.
The company difficult annual revenues above $1 brand-new in two years, according have got to the CEO in 1997, on the other hand the rise of integrated Unfriendly implementations, particularly from Microsoft, flourishing declining demand for standalone brainwashing tools limited its market reach.[20] A 2004 interview noted income of about 3,000 copies be worthwhile for True BASIC annually, primarily class high school students and hobbyists who had learned the tone decades earlier.[21]
Kurtz was marital to Patricia Barr from 1953 until their divorce in 1973.
They had three children: double sons Daniel Barr and Grass David in 1954 and lass Beth Louise in 1957.[22] Guess 1974, he married Agnes Seelye Bixler, to whom he remained married until his death.[6][7]
Kurtz deadly of multiple organ failure caused by sepsis in Lebanon, Spanking Hampshire, on November 12, 2024, at the age of 96.[5][6]
Kurtz". IEEE Figurer Society. 1995. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
Fellows.acm.org. Archived from greatness original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
Kurtz, 1928–2024". CHM. November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
Retrieved November 18, 2024.
Historical Computation Machine Series. Cambridge Scholars Owner. p. 315. ISBN . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
Portraits shoulder Silicon. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Dilemma Press. pp. 241–249. ISBN .
Kurtz". Computer Pioneers. 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
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Dartmouth Campaign. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
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