Per Brinch Hansen

Per Brinch Hansen (November 13, 1938 - July 31, 2007) was a Danish-American computer scientist known for concurrent programming theory.

Biography

He was born in Frederiksberg, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Brinch Hansen was one of the pioneers of concurrent programming and operating systems (kernels). He coined the Danish word for computer: "Datamat" (English: datamaton). In the 1960s, Brinch Hansen worked at the Danish computer company Regnecentralen, first in the compiler group headed by Peter Naur and Jørn Jensen, and, later, as the chief architect of the RC 4000 minicomputer and its renowned operating system kernel (RC 4000 Multiprogramming System). In 1972, he wrote the first comprehensive textbook on "Operating System Principles".

In 1970 his research in computer science focused on concurrent programming: Inspired by Ole-Johan Dahl and Kristen Nygaard's programming language Simula 67, he invented the monitor concept in 1972. In the United States, he also developed the first concurrent programming language, Concurrent Pascal, in 1975. In 1977, he wrote the first book on Concurrent Programming: "The Architecture of Concurrent Programs".

More recently, Brinch Hansen documented the historical development of these fundamental areas of computer science.

In 1987, he became a professor at Syracuse University in New York State. On July 31, 2007, Per Brinch Hansen died of cancer.

Education

* 1957 High School graduation, St. Jørgens Gymnasium, Frederiksberg
* 1963 MS in Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Professional experience

* 1963–1970 Systems Programmer, Regnecentralen, Copenhagen, Denmark
* 1967–1970 Head of Software Development, Regnecentralen
* 1970–1972 Research Associate, Carnegie Mellon University
* 1972–1976 Associate Professor, California Institute of Technology
* 1976–1982 Professor, University of Southern California
* 1982–1984 Henry Salvatori Professor, University of Southern California
* 1984–1987 Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
* 1987–2007 Distinguished Professor, Syracuse University

Honors and awards

* 1978 Doctor Technices, Technical University of Denmark, for The Architecture of Concurrent Programs
* 1985 IEEE Fellow
* 1989 Chancellor's Medal, Syracuse University
* 2002 IEEE Computer Pioneer Award "for pioneering development in operating systems and concurrent programming exemplified by work on the RC 4000 multiprogramming system, monitors, and Concurrent Pascal"

Bibliography

* Operating System Principles (1973, ISBN 0-13-637843-9)
* The Architecture of Concurrent Programs (1977, ISBN 0-13-044628-9)
* Programming a Personal Computer (1983, ISBN 0-13-730267-3)
* Brinch Hansen on Pascal Compilers (1985, ISBN 0-13-083098-4)
* Studies in Computational Science: Parallel Programming Paradigms (1995, ISBN 0-13-439324-4)
* The Search for Simplicity: Essays in Parallel Programming (1996)
* Programming for Everyone in Java (1999, ISBN 0-387-98683-9)
* Classic Operating Systems: From Batch Processing to Distributed Systems (editor, 2001, ISBN 0-387-95113-X)
* The Origin of Concurrent Programming: From Semaphores to Remote Procedure Calls (editor, 2004, ISBN 0-387-95401-5)
* A Programmer's Story: The Life of a Computer Pioneer (2004, available at http://brinch-hansen.net/)

Quotations

* "Writing is a rigorous test of simplicity: It is just not possible to write convincingly about ideas that cannot be understood"
* "Programming is the art of writing essays in crystal clear prose and making them executable"

External links

* [http://brinch-hansen.net Personal website with memoirs, selected papers and detailed bibliography]
* [http://web.syr.edu/~pbhansen/ Syracuse University site for Per Brinch Hansen]
* [http://www.datamuseum.dk/ Early papers by Per Brinch Hansen (1966–1970) at the Danish Datamuseum]