今天是Knuth的70寿辰

好像太八卦了一点,不过这是Knuth ,我的终极偶像啊。就算他没有写注定留名青史的The Art of Computer Programming(是滴,俺有空还在读),就算他不是最早让人们认识到算法也可以定量严格分析(没有算法分析,哪里有现代计算机科学嗫?)的人,就算他没有发明和改进LR解析方法,就算他不是最早独立实现Algo编译器的人,就算他不是编程语言经验研究方法的奠基人,就算他没有提出Attribute Grammar,只看他10年间写出免费排版软件TeX(读Tek哈)和字体软件METAFONT,单枪匹马灭掉一个行业:科技出版物人肉排版,就足以让人诚服。这种欧拉式的文艺复兴男不是每个世纪都有的。

还是Lance Fortnow总结得好:Knuth的态度是I want to solve problem X and I'll use whatever math I need to solve it, even if I have to develop it myself.

Update: 看来洒家比较温和。看看Mark C.C的暴力文字:If you don't know who Knuth is, then you're not a programmer. If you're a programmer and you don't know who Knuth is, well... I have no idea what rock you've been hiding under, but you should probably be fired.

另外这里有一堆连接供八卦人士享用。这些热情充沛的文字读来极富乐趣,强烈推荐。看得俺一激动,买了Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer ScientistsSelected Papers on Computer Science ,和Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About

 

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