See also: Wirth

Niklaus Wirth , Data-processing professor of and inventor of several computer programming languages, was born the February 15th 1934, with Winterthour (Suisse).

It has a diploma of Elektroingenieur (electronic Engineer in ), obtained with the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (federal Polytechnic school, EPF) of Zurich (Swiss); a control in sciences (Mr. Sc) of the University Laval (Canada); and a doctorate (pH. D) of the the University of California to Berkeley) (the United States). He was professor-assistant with the Université of Stanford in 1963 - 1967, then with the Université of Zurich. He obtains then a post of professor of data processing with the EPF of Zurich.

He is in retirement since April 1999.

Languages

Of 1964 with 1967, it worked in the group IFIP2.1 of which the task was to improve the language ALGOL-60. What leads to the ALGOL-68. The proposal of Wirth was less ambitious, it was right a derivation of the ALGOL-60 (which was carried out then under the name of ALGOL-W).

Of 1968 with 1972, disappointed by ALGOL X become ALGOL 68 , it works - only this time - in Zurich on its language Pascal, based on his preceding work of the ALGOL-W.

Pascal retrogresses a little compared to ALGOL-W, whose each expression brought back a value. He at the time especially is in addition directed, as regards treatment of characters, on the CDC6600 which works with words of 60 bits gathering 10 characters of 6 bits; this Pascal-there is not, and by far, Turbo Pascal).

Wirth written with the USSR Amman a first compiler for CDC 6600 of the EPF of Zurich, and the source gives some to which requires it of him, in particular to the Laval University.

Of 1972 with 1974, it develops the PCode, an intermediate code generated by a compiler (Pascal) and achievable on any machine equipped with the adequate Interpréteur (the principle taken again by Java). This P-code will be the base of Pascal UCSD (University off California San Diego).

Of 1973 with 1976, it works on the object language Modula, a simplified derivative of the comprising Pascal of the additions on the other hand as regards modularity (from where the name of the language).

Of 1977 with 1981, it works on a project of powerful work station, called Lilith. In same time, it develops the second version of Modulated, Modulated-2 which is also the Operating system intended for the Lilith machine.

In 1984, it receives the Prix Turing.

In 1988, it develops the language Oberon, a derivative of Modulated with the concept of export of the procedures. A procedure is usable by any program. As Modulated-2, Oberon includes/understands a complete operating system.

External bonds

• Its CV academic
• Text explaining the development by successive refining
• Swiss pioneers of data processing (Swiss Files of the radio and television)

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