Gaston Gonnet
Encyclopedia
Gaston H. Gonnet is a Uruguay
an computer scientist
and entrepreneur. He is best known for his contributions to the Maple computer algebra system and the creation of an electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary
.
in 1977. His thesis was entitled Interpolation and Interpolation Hash Searching. His advisor was J. Alan George
.
In 1980 Gonnet co-founded the Symbolic Computation Group at the University of Waterloo. The work of SCG on a general-purpose computer algebra system
later formed the core of the Maple
system. In 1988, Gonnet co-founded (with Keith Geddes
) the private company Waterloo Maple
Inc., to sell Maple commercially. In the mid 90's the company ran into trouble and a disagreement between his colleagues caused him to withdraw from chairman of the Board and managerial involvement. On June 9th, 2011, Gonnet and Keith O. Geddes received the ACM Richard D Jenks Memorial Prize for Excellence in Software Engineering Applied to Computer Algebra for the Maple Project.
In 1984 Gonnet co-founded the New Oxford English Dictionary project at UW, which sought to create a searchable electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary
. The project was selected by the Oxford University Press
as a partner for the computerisation leading to the publication of the second edition of the OED. The UW project's main contributions were in the parsing of the source text to enhance the tagging and on building a full text searching system based on PAT trees (a version of suffix array
). This project later culminated in another successful commercial venture, the Open Text Corporation
. Gonnet was founder and chairman of the Board of OTC until 1994.
Gonnet is presently a professor in Informatik at ETH Zurich
in Zurich
, Switzerland
and chief scientist of two canadian startups: CeeqIT and Porfiau.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and entrepreneur. He is best known for his contributions to the Maple computer algebra system and the creation of an electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
.
Education and professional life
Gonnet received his doctorate in computer science from the University of WaterlooUniversity of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in 1977. His thesis was entitled Interpolation and Interpolation Hash Searching. His advisor was J. Alan George
J. Alan George
J. Alan George, is a computer scientist and university administrator.In the academic world, George is best known for his intensive research and wide-ranging contributions to the field of numerical linear algebra, specifically computation with sparse matrices...
.
In 1980 Gonnet co-founded the Symbolic Computation Group at the University of Waterloo. The work of SCG on a general-purpose computer algebra system
Computer algebra system
A computer algebra system is a software program that facilitates symbolic mathematics. The core functionality of a CAS is manipulation of mathematical expressions in symbolic form.-Symbolic manipulations:...
later formed the core of the Maple
Maple (software)
Maple is a general-purpose commercial computer algebra system. It was first developed in 1980 by the Symbolic Computation Group at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada....
system. In 1988, Gonnet co-founded (with Keith Geddes
Keith Geddes
Keith Geddes is a professor emeritus in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science within the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a former director of the in the School of Computer Science...
) the private company Waterloo Maple
Waterloo Maple
Waterloo Maple Inc. is a Canadian software company, headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario. It operates under the trading name Maplesoft and is best known as the manufacturer of the Maple computer algebra system and MapleSim physical modeling and simulation software.-Corporate history:Waterloo Maple Inc...
Inc., to sell Maple commercially. In the mid 90's the company ran into trouble and a disagreement between his colleagues caused him to withdraw from chairman of the Board and managerial involvement. On June 9th, 2011, Gonnet and Keith O. Geddes received the ACM Richard D Jenks Memorial Prize for Excellence in Software Engineering Applied to Computer Algebra for the Maple Project.
In 1984 Gonnet co-founded the New Oxford English Dictionary project at UW, which sought to create a searchable electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
. The project was selected by the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
as a partner for the computerisation leading to the publication of the second edition of the OED. The UW project's main contributions were in the parsing of the source text to enhance the tagging and on building a full text searching system based on PAT trees (a version of suffix array
Suffix array
In computer science, a suffix array is an array of integers giving the starting positions of suffixes of a string in lexicographical order.-Details:Consider the string...
). This project later culminated in another successful commercial venture, the Open Text Corporation
Open Text Corporation
OpenText Corporation Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As Canada's largest software company, it produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable Enterprise content management solutions for large corporations across all industries....
. Gonnet was founder and chairman of the Board of OTC until 1994.
Gonnet is presently a professor in Informatik at ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and chief scientist of two canadian startups: CeeqIT and Porfiau.
External links
- Personal page at ETH Zurich
- Interview with Gaston Gonnet, SIAM History of Numerical Analysis and Computing, March 16, 2005