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John W. Backus, who assembled and led the I.B.M. team that created Fortran, the first widely used programming language, which helped open the door to modern computing, died on Saturday at his home in Ashland, Ore. He was 82.
His daughter Karen Backus announced the death, saying the family did not know the cause, other than age.
Fortran, released in 1957, was "the turning point" in computer software, much as the microprocessor was a giant step forward in hardware, according to J.A.N. Lee, a leading computer historian.
John W. Backus, 82, Fortran Developer, Dies
Seeded on Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:06 PM EDT
Article Source: The New York Times- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
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I suppose when I was learning how to program in Fortan in college I would have taken this news with some sort of sad glee, but looking back I can really appreciate what I got out of learning in that class. Learning how to program in a formal setting taught me a great deal about logical thinking and analysis, not just for writing code, but for looking at how I perform most any task. It certainly has helped me beyond description in how I do my daily work, even when not writing it into a form code, but just hoping to work in a systematic and logical process. Backus' contribution to our modern society was huge, even if largely non-direct, and I can honestly say that it has a large impact on my life as well.
#1 - Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:10 PM EDTPeople like to make fun of Fortran, but in '57 it was utterly revolutionary. Backus deserves as much credit as just about anyone as the father of modern software development.
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