In 1999, a rising software engineer in Switzerland was getting ready for a meeting in France. He discovered that the Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth, one of the leaders in the field, was also attending and would be on the same flight. The engineer, Kent Beck, hadn’t met Dr. Wirth before but still asked the gate agent if it was possible for them to sit together. Mr. Beck, who would eventually become a well-known programmer, described sitting next to Dr. Wirth as an extraordinary opportunity. Dr. Wirth died at 89 from heart failure. Mr. Beck and many other computer scientists remember Dr. Wirth as a highly influential scientist in the early computer age. In 1970, Dr. Wirth released Pascal, the programming language that powered early Apple computers and the first versions of Skype and Adobe Photoshop. Dr. Wirth was an advocate for simplicity in computing and Pascal was considered a powerful manifestation of this philosophy. His work had a lasting impact on computer science education and programming.
Dr. Wirth was born on February 15, 1934, in Winterthur, Switzerland. As a young child, he demonstrated an interest in engineering and science. Initially, he wanted to become a steam-engine driver or a pilot. He later installed a chemistry lab in the family basement and worked with radios and remote-control helicopters. After he finished his studies with electrical engineering at ETH Zurich, he furthered his academic career and taught at Stanford University’s computer science department for several years. Later, he returned to Switzerland, where he significantly contributed to the establishment of a computer science department at ETH Zurich. Instead of seeking to profit from it, Dr. Wirth made Pascal accessible to anyone who wished to use it, which was essential during a microprocessor revolution. He also spent time at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center and kept advancing open-source software. In 1984 and 2009, he lost his first wife and his second wife, respectively. Dr. Wirth’s passing in 2023 left behind a legacy according to everyone affected by his work. His partner, Rosmarie Müller, had been with him since 2017.
