Mark Burgess (computer scientist)
Encyclopedia
Mark Burgess is a researcher and writer at Oslo University College
in Norway
, who is well known for work in computer science in the field of policy-based configuration management
.
Mark Burgess was born in Maghull
in the United Kingdom
to English parents. He grew up in Bloxham
, a small village in Oxfordshire
from the age of 5-18, attending Bloxham Primary School, Warriner Secondary School and Banbury Upper School.
Originally interested in physics and astronomy, he went to study astrophysics
at the (then) School of Physics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he later switched to pure Physics and then Theoretical Physics for his bachelor degree. He stayed on to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy
in Theoretical Physics in Newcastle, in the field of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Non-Abelian Gauge Theories, for which he received the Runcorn Prize.
After completing a doctorate he pursued a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oslo
in Norway and has lived in Oslo ever since. While at Oslo he developed an interest in the behaviour of computers as dynamic systems and began to apply ideas from physics to describe computer behaviour.
Mark Burgess is perhaps best known as the author of the popular configuration management
software package cfengine
, but has also made important contributions to the theory of the field of automation and policy based management, including the idea of operator convergence and promise theory
.
He is also the author of many popular and fictional writings.
Oslo University College
Oslo University College , Norwegian: Høgskolen i Oslo is the largest state university college in Norway, with more than 11,000 students and approx. 1100 employees...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, who is well known for work in computer science in the field of policy-based configuration management
Configuration management
Configuration management is a field of management that focuses on establishing and maintaining consistency of a system or product's performance and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.For information assurance, CM...
.
Mark Burgess was born in Maghull
Maghull
Maghull is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located eight miles north of the City of Liverpool and south of Ormskirk in West Lancashire. The area of Moss Side also contains HM Prison Kennet and Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to English parents. He grew up in Bloxham
Bloxham
Bloxham is a village and civil parish in northern Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds, southwest of Banbury.-Early settlement:Under Roman rule between the 1st and 5th centuries there were several farms and a burial site in the Bloxham area....
, a small village in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
from the age of 5-18, attending Bloxham Primary School, Warriner Secondary School and Banbury Upper School.
Originally interested in physics and astronomy, he went to study astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
at the (then) School of Physics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he later switched to pure Physics and then Theoretical Physics for his bachelor degree. He stayed on to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Theoretical Physics in Newcastle, in the field of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Non-Abelian Gauge Theories, for which he received the Runcorn Prize.
After completing a doctorate he pursued a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
in Norway and has lived in Oslo ever since. While at Oslo he developed an interest in the behaviour of computers as dynamic systems and began to apply ideas from physics to describe computer behaviour.
Mark Burgess is perhaps best known as the author of the popular configuration management
Configuration management
Configuration management is a field of management that focuses on establishing and maintaining consistency of a system or product's performance and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.For information assurance, CM...
software package cfengine
Cfengine
CFEngine is a popular open source configuration managementsystem, written by Mark Burgess.Its primary function is to provide automated configuration and...
, but has also made important contributions to the theory of the field of automation and policy based management, including the idea of operator convergence and promise theory
Promise theory
Promise theory is a model of voluntary cooperation between individual, autonomous actors or agents who publish their intentions to one another in the form of promises. A promise is a declaration of intent whose purpose is to increase the recipient's certainty about a claim of past, present or...
.
Publications
Mark Burgess is the author of a number of books- Paged ROM programming for the BBC Micro, (Dabs Press - never printed), 1985.
- C, Dabs Press 1988
- C, (Third Edition) Dabs Press 1992
- C Tutorial (Fourth edition), Free Software Foundation, 2000
- AmigaDOS, Dabs Press 1989
- Classical Covariant Fields, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- Principles of Network and System Administration, J. Wiley & Sons. 2000
- Selected Papers in Network and System Administration, J. Wiley & Sons. 2001 (Editor, with E. Anderson and A. Couch.)
- Principles of Network and System Administration (Second edition), J. Wiley & Sons. 2003
- Analytical Network and System Administration (Human-Computer management), J. Wiley & Sons. (2004)
- Handbook of Network and System Administration, Elsevier 2007, (Editor with Jan Bergstra)
He is also the author of many popular and fictional writings.