Paul Lutus
Encyclopedia
Paul Lutus is a computer programmer
and former NASA
designer. Before becoming a software author, Lutus designed electronics for the NASA Space Shuttle and created a mathematical model
of the solar system
that was used by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
during the Viking
Mars
mission. After working for NASA, in 1976 Lutus moved to a remote location in rural Oregon and started living in a cottage in complete isolation. There, he started writing computer programs on his first personal computer, an Apple II
. In the 80s, he would eventually program Apple Writer
, an international best-seller for the Apple II, and the GraFORTH and TransFORTH II programming environments.
In 1983, Lutus received Reed College
's Vollum award for contributions to science and technology, and was named Scientist of the Year by the Oregon Academy of Science in 1986.
Between 1988 and 1991 Lutus sailed
solo around the world in a 31-foot sailboat
. His book about the sail, Confessions of a Long-Distance Sailor is available for free on his website.
One of Lutus's latest software projects is Arachnophilia
, a Java
Web development workshop available free on his website. The program is released under Lutus's own version of the Careware
license.
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
and former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
designer. Before becoming a software author, Lutus designed electronics for the NASA Space Shuttle and created a mathematical model
Mathematical model
A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines A mathematical model is a...
of the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
that was used by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
during the Viking
Viking program
The Viking program consisted of a pair of American space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts, an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface...
Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
mission. After working for NASA, in 1976 Lutus moved to a remote location in rural Oregon and started living in a cottage in complete isolation. There, he started writing computer programs on his first personal computer, an Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
. In the 80s, he would eventually program Apple Writer
Apple Writer
Apple Writer is a word processor for the Apple II family of personal computers. It was created by programmer and former NASA engineer Paul Lutus and published in 1979 by Apple Computer.-Apple Writer 1.0:...
, an international best-seller for the Apple II, and the GraFORTH and TransFORTH II programming environments.
In 1983, Lutus received Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
's Vollum award for contributions to science and technology, and was named Scientist of the Year by the Oregon Academy of Science in 1986.
Between 1988 and 1991 Lutus sailed
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
solo around the world in a 31-foot sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
. His book about the sail, Confessions of a Long-Distance Sailor is available for free on his website.
One of Lutus's latest software projects is Arachnophilia
Arachnophilia
Arachnophilia is a source code editor written in Java by Paul Lutus. It is the successor to another HTML editor, WebThing. The program is licensed as Careware software...
, a 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...
Web development workshop available free on his website. The program is released under Lutus's own version of the Careware
Careware
Careware is software licensed in a way that benefits a charity. Some careware is distributed free, and the author suggests that some payment be made to either a nominated charity, or a charity of the user's choice. Commercial careware, on the other hand, includes a levy for charity on top of the...
license.