Bjarne Stroustrup facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bjarne Stroustrup
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Stroustrup in 2013
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| Born | 30 December 1950 |
| Nationality | Danish |
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| Known for | C++ |
| Spouse(s) |
Marian Tinson
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 2 |
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| Scientific career | |
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| Thesis | Communication and control in distributed computer systems (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | David Wheeler |
Bjarne Stroustrup (born 30 December 1950) is a famous Danish computer scientist. He is best known for creating the C++ programming language. This language is used all over the world to build many different computer programs and systems. He has worked at important places like Bell Labs, Texas A&M University, Morgan Stanley, and Columbia University. Since 2022, he has been a full professor at Columbia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bjarne Stroustrup was born in Aarhus, Denmark. His family was working class, and he went to local schools there.
He studied at Aarhus University from 1969 to 1975. He earned a degree in mathematics and computer science. He was very interested in how computers are built and how they work at a basic level. He also learned about "object-oriented programming" from its creator, Kristen Nygaard.
In 1979, he earned his PhD in computer science from the University of Cambridge. His studies there focused on how different computers can work together in a network.
Career and Research
In 1979, Stroustrup started working at the Computer Science Research Center of Bell Labs in New Jersey. This is where he began developing C++ and new programming methods. He led the Large-scale Programming Research department at Bell Labs until 2002. He was also made a Bell Labs fellow in 1993.
From 2002 to 2014, Stroustrup was a professor of Computer Science at Texas A&M University. He was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2011.
From 2014 to 2022, Stroustrup worked at Morgan Stanley, a big financial company, in New York City. During this time, he was also a visiting professor at Columbia University.
Since July 2022, Stroustrup has been a full professor of Computer Science at Columbia University.
What is C++?
Stroustrup is most famous for creating C++. He started working on it in 1979. At first, he called it "C with Classes." He invented C++, wrote its first rules, and made its first working version. He also decided how C++ should be designed and helped guide its development.
C++ became available to everyone in 1985. Stroustrup also wrote a very important textbook for the language in 1985, called The C++ Programming Language.
C++ is a powerful programming language that helps computer programmers build many different kinds of software. It is used for things like:
- Making video games.
- Creating operating systems (like Windows or macOS).
- Developing web browsers.
- Building complex systems for banks and other industries.
Stroustrup wrote a book in 1994 called The Design and Evolution of C++. In this book, he explained the ideas behind C++ and how the language grew over time.
He was also a founding member of the C++ standards committee, which helps decide how the language should work. He has been an active member of this committee ever since it started in 1989.
Awards and Honors
Bjarne Stroustrup has received many important awards for his work on C++. Here are some of them:
- 2018: The Charles Stark Draper Prize from the US National Academy of Engineering. This was for creating and developing the C++ programming language.
- 2018: The Computer Pioneer Award from the IEEE Computer Society. This award recognized him for bringing object-oriented programming to many people with C++.
- 2017: The Faraday Medal from the IET (Institute of Engineering Technology). This was for his major contributions to the history of computing, especially C++.
- 2005: The William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement. He was the first computer scientist to receive this award.
- 1993: The ACM Grace Murray Hopper award. This was for his early work that laid the groundwork for C++.
He has also been recognized with many fellowships:
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering (2004).
- Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (1994).
- Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (1994).
- Fellow of the Computer History Museum (2015).
Publications
Stroustrup has written or helped write many books and articles about computer science and C++. His books have been translated into 21 languages!
Some of his well-known books include:
- A Tour of C++
- Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++
- The C++ Programming Language
- The Design and Evolution of C++
- The Annotated C++ Reference Manual
He has also published over 100 academic articles. These articles share his research and ideas with other computer scientists.
See also
In Spanish: Bjarne Stroustrup para niños
