John Cocke (computer scientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Cocke
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| Born | May 30, 1925 Charlotte, North Carolina, US
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| Died | July 16, 2002 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Duke University |
| Known for | RISC CYK algorithm |
| Awards | ACM Turing Award (1987) Computer Pioneer Award (1989) National Medal of Technology (1991) National Medal of Science (1994) IEEE John von Neumann Medal (1994) Computer History Museum Fellow (2002) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Science |
| Institutions | IBM |
John Cocke (born May 30, 1925 – died July 16, 2002) was an American computer scientist. He is famous for his big ideas in how computers are built (called computer architecture) and how computer programs are made faster (called optimizing compilers). Many people call him the "father of RISC architecture."
Contents
Who Was John Cocke?
John Cocke was a brilliant mind who helped shape the world of computers. He spent his whole career at IBM, a very famous technology company. His work made computers faster and more efficient. He helped create the way many modern computers work today.
Early Life and Education
John Cocke was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He went to Duke University, a well-known school. In 1946, he earned his first degree in mechanical engineering. Later, in 1956, he received his Ph.D. in mathematics. This means he studied math at a very high level.
Big Ideas at IBM
John Cocke worked as a researcher for IBM from 1956 to 1992. This was his only job throughout his career. He came up with many new ideas during his time there.
The IBM 801 and RISC
One of his most important projects was with the IBM 801 minicomputer. He realized that computers could work much faster and cost less money. This could happen if their basic instructions were simpler. These simple instructions are what computer programs use. This idea led to what is now called RISC architecture. RISC means computers use a smaller, simpler set of instructions. This makes them very fast and efficient.
Other Important Work
John Cocke also helped invent the CYK algorithm. This is a special method used in computer science. He was also involved in early work on speech recognition. This is how computers understand human speech. He also worked on machine translation. This is how computers translate languages. He suggested using a "trigram language model" for speech recognition. This was a new way for computers to understand spoken words.
Amazing Awards and Recognition
John Cocke received many important awards for his work. In 1972, he was named an IBM Fellow. This is a very high honor at IBM.
He won the ACM Turing Award in 1987. This is often called the "Nobel Prize of computing." He also received the National Medal of Technology in 1991. In 1994, he was given the National Medal of Science. These are two of the highest honors in the United States for science and technology.
In 2002, he became a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. This was to recognize his work on RISC architecture. It also honored his ideas for making computer programs work better.
John Cocke passed away on July 16, 2002, in Valhalla, New York. His contributions continue to influence computer design today.
