James G. Mitchell
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Mitchell Ph.D.
(born 1943), is a Canadian
computer scientist
. He has worked on programming language design and implementation (FORTRAN
, Mesa, Euclid, C++
, Java
), interactive programming systems, dynamic interpretation and compilation, document preparation systems, user interface design, distributed transactional file systems, and distributed, object-oriented operating systems. He has also worked on the design of hardware for computer graphics, high-level language execution, and audio input output.
, Canada
on April 25, 1943. He grew up in Cambridge, Ontario
, and graduated from the University of Waterloo
in Canada in mathematics in 1966.
Mitchell began working with computers in 1962 while a student at the University of Waterloo. He and three other undergraduates developed a fast compiler
for the Fortran
programming language known as WATFOR, for IBM 7040
computer.
The project, initiated by Professor J. Wesley Graham, established Waterloo's early reputation as a centre for software and Computer Science research by helping the first generation of computer science major learn to program.
He then graduated with a computer science
Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University in the USA in 1970.
. He was head of research and development for Acorn Computers
(U.K.), where the ARM RISC
chip was designed, and President of the Acorn Research Centre in Palo Alto, California
.
Mitchell joined Sun Microsystems
in 1988 and was in charge of the Spring distributed, object-oriented operating system research in Sun Microsystems Laboratories
and the SunSoft subsidiary. He became Vice President of Technology & Architecture in the JavaSoft Division and then Chief Technology Officer, Java
Consumer & Embedded products. Later, he was Vice President in charge of Sun Microsystems Laboratories. He then became Vice President of Photonics, Interconnects, and Packaging at Oracle Corporation
in 2010.
in Computing and Innovation from the University of Waterloo
.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(born 1943), is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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....
. He has worked on programming language design and implementation (FORTRAN
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
, Mesa, Euclid, C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
), interactive programming systems, dynamic interpretation and compilation, document preparation systems, user interface design, distributed transactional file systems, and distributed, object-oriented operating systems. He has also worked on the design of hardware for computer graphics, high-level language execution, and audio input output.
Biography
Mitchell was born in Kitchener, OntarioKitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on April 25, 1943. He grew up in Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, and graduated from the University of Waterloo
University 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 Canada in mathematics in 1966.
Mitchell began working with computers in 1962 while a student at the University of Waterloo. He and three other undergraduates developed a fast compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
for the Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
programming language known as WATFOR, for IBM 7040
IBM 7040
The IBM 7040 was a historic but short-lived model of transistor computer built in the 1960s.It was announced by IBM in December 1961, but did not ship until April, 1963. A later member of the IBM 700/7000 series of scientific computers, it was a scaled down version of the IBM 7090. It was not fully...
computer.
The project, initiated by Professor J. Wesley Graham, established Waterloo's early reputation as a centre for software and Computer Science research by helping the first generation of computer science major learn to program.
He then graduated with a computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University in the USA in 1970.
Career
From 1971-84 Mitchell was at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and eventually became a Xerox Fellow. In 1980–81, he was Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Computer LaboratoryUniversity of Cambridge Computer Laboratory
The Computer Laboratory is the computer science department of the University of Cambridge. As of 2007, it employs 35 academic staff, 25 support staff, 35 affiliated research staff, and about 155 research students...
. He was head of research and development for Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
(U.K.), where the ARM RISC
ARM architecture
ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It was named the Advanced RISC Machine, and before that, the Acorn RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in numbers produced...
chip was designed, and President of the Acorn Research Centre in Palo Alto, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Mitchell joined Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
in 1988 and was in charge of the Spring distributed, object-oriented operating system research in Sun Microsystems Laboratories
Sun Microsystems Laboratories
Sun Microsystems Laboratories, or Sun Labs was the research and development branch of Sun Microsystems. It was established in 1990 by Ivan Sutherland and Robert Sproull...
and the SunSoft subsidiary. He became Vice President of Technology & Architecture in the JavaSoft Division and then Chief Technology Officer, Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
Consumer & Embedded products. Later, he was Vice President in charge of Sun Microsystems Laboratories. He then became Vice President of Photonics, Interconnects, and Packaging at Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
in 2010.
Honors
In 1997, he was awarded the J.W. Graham MedalJ.W. Graham Medal
The J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation is an award given annually by the University of Waterloo and the University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics to "recognize the leadership and many innovative contributions made to the University of Waterloo, and to the Canadian computer...
in Computing and Innovation from the University of Waterloo
University 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...
.
See also
- Sun MicrosystemsSun MicrosystemsSun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
- Xerox PARCXerox PARCPARC , formerly Xerox PARC, is a research and co-development company in Palo Alto, California, with a distinguished reputation for its contributions to information technology and hardware systems....
- Sun Fellow
- Java (programming language)Java (programming language)Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
- Mesa (programming language)
- Acorn ComputersAcorn ComputersAcorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
- OlivettiOlivettiOlivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, printers and other business machines.- Founding :The company was founded as a typewriter manufacturer in 1908 in Ivrea, near Turin, by Camillo Olivetti. The firm was mainly developed by his son Adriano Olivetti...