Biography
Edsger Dijkstra
- Born
- 11 May 1930
- Died
- 6 August 2002
- Nationality
- Dutch
- Known for
- Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm, Structured programming
Edsger Dijkstra was the conscience of programming, a Dutch computer scientist who insisted that writing software was a rigorous intellectual discipline and not a matter of trial and error. He is famous for a single algorithm and for a lifetime of sharp, principled argument about how programming should be done.
The algorithm came early. In 1956 Dijkstra worked out a method for finding the shortest path between two points in a network, and it was so clean and useful that it is still taught in every algorithms course and still runs inside mapping and networking systems today. But he considered his deeper contribution to be about discipline. He believed programs should be built carefully enough that you could reason about their correctness, and his ideas on structured programming steered the field away from tangled code toward clear, well-organised logic.
He made the case with memorable force. A 1968 letter, given the title “Go To Statement Considered Harmful”, argued that a common feature which let programs jump around freely made them impossible to follow, and it helped change how software was written. Dijkstra spent his career as a rigorous critic as much as a builder, and he received the Turing Award in 1972.
Frequently asked
What is Dijkstra's algorithm?
It is a method for finding the shortest path between points in a network, such as the quickest route on a map or through a computer network. Dijkstra devised it in 1956, and it is still one of the most taught and used algorithms in computer science.
What did Edsger Dijkstra believe about programming?
He argued that programming is a serious intellectual discipline that should be done with mathematical care, not trial and error. His ideas on structured programming pushed the field toward clear, provably correct code.
What did "goto considered harmful" mean?
It was the title given to a famous 1968 letter by Dijkstra arguing against the goto statement, which let programs jump around unpredictably. He said it made code hard to understand, and his argument helped establish the structured style of programming used today.