Niklaus Wirth

Question 1

Who is Niklaus Wirth?

Answer 1

A Swiss computer scientist best known for developing several influential programming languages, including Pascal.

Question 2

When was Niklaus Wirth born?

Answer 2

February 15, 1934.

Question 3

What programming language is Niklaus Wirth best known for developing?

Answer 3

Pascal.

Question 4

What were some other programming languages created by Niklaus Wirth?

Answer 4

Modula, Modula-2, and Oberon.

Question 5

Which university did Niklaus Wirth attend for his undergraduate degree?

Answer 5

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).

Question 6

From which university did Niklaus Wirth earn his Ph.D.?

Answer 6

University of California, Berkeley.

Question 7

What is Pascal known for?

Answer 7

Encouraging good programming practices and being widely used in teaching structured programming.

Question 8

Which law is associated with Niklaus Wirth that humorously describes the inefficiency of software?

Answer 8

Wirth’s Law: ‘Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster.’

Question 9

In what year did Niklaus Wirth develop Pascal?

Answer 9

1970.

Question 10

Which programming paradigm did Wirth’s languages help popularize?

Answer 10

Structured programming.

Question 11

What was the main goal of Pascal?

Answer 11

To teach good programming practices, particularly structured programming.

Question 12

Which language introduced the concept of modular programming?

Answer 12

Modula and Modula-2, developed by Niklaus Wirth.

Question 13

What is modular programming?

Answer 13

A programming approach that divides software into independent, interchangeable modules to improve organization and reusability.

Question 14

What did Wirth design along with the Oberon language?

Answer 14

The Oberon operating system.

Question 15

What computer did Niklaus Wirth help design?

Answer 15

The Lilith computer, one of the first workstations with a graphical user interface.

Question 16

What is Wirth’s most famous academic contribution outside of languages?

Answer 16

Wirth’s Law, which critiques the inefficiency of modern software.

Question 17

How did Wirth influence the field of education?

Answer 17

His languages, especially Pascal, were widely used to teach structured programming in academic settings.

Question 18

In what year did Wirth win the Turing Award?

Answer 18

1984.

Question 19

What was the historical significance of the time period during which Wirth worked?

Answer 19

The 1960s-1980s was a period of rapid advancement in computing, with growing interest in software engineering and personal computers.

Question 20

Which famous mathematician is Pascal named after?

Answer 20

Blaise Pascal.

Question 21

Why did Pascal not become a dominant language in the industry?

Answer 21

It was considered too restrictive for certain commercial applications, especially compared to languages like C.

Question 22

What key concept did Modula-2 introduce?

Answer 22

Modular programming.

Question 23

What is Oberon?

Answer 23

A programming language and an operating system developed by Niklaus Wirth.

Question 24

What is Niklaus Wirth’s legacy in computer science?

Answer 24

He influenced modern programming languages and education, with concepts from his work used in languages like Ada, Java, and Python.

Question 25

What were the main challenges Wirth faced in promoting Pascal?

Answer 25

Resistance from the software industry, which preferred older languages like Fortran.

Question 26

How did Niklaus Wirth’s work influence future programming languages?

Answer 26

Concepts like structured and modular programming became fundamental to modern software development.

Question 27

What was a humorous observation made by Wirth about software?

Answer 27

Wirth’s Law: ‘Software gets slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster.’

Question 28

Which Swiss characteristic did Wirth share in his personal life?

Answer 28

A love for outdoor activities like mountaineering.