Robert Dewar
Encyclopedia
Robert Berriedale Keith Dewar (born June 21, 1945, Oxford, UK) is an American
computer scientist
.
in 1964, and his Ph.D., also from the University of Chicago, in 1968.
(IIT) from 1968 to 1974, before becoming Research Associate Professor of Computer Science at New York University
(NYU) in 1975, where he was Full Professor of Computer Science from 1976 to 2005.
He was Chairman of IFIP Working Group 2.1
from 1978 to 1983 and Associate Director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
from 1994 to 1997.
Currently he is President and CEO of AdaCore
, which he co-founded in 1994.
These implementations of SNOBOL4, which quickly gained widespread popularity, are still being used today.
In the 70's he was a principle author of the Realia COBOL
compiler, widely used in commercial environments to this day (marketed by Computer Associates).
Dewar became involved with the Ada
programming language from its early days as a Distinguished Reviewer of the Ada 1983 design proposed by Jean Ichbiah
that was selected by the US DoD.
He was co-director (with Ed Schonberg) of the team at NYU that produced the first Ada implementation to pass the strenuous ACVC validation suite, mandated for being allowed to use the trademarked name Ada.
Dewar and Schonberg went on to produce GNAT
, a free-software compiler for Ada that forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection
.
Dewar also participated in the SETL
project at NYU, and co-authored the handbook Programming With Sets: An Introduction to SETL. He also influenced the design of the ABC programming language
, in particular its SETL-style high-level data type
s, such as associative array
s.
According to a recent blog entry by Guido van Rossum
, the author of Python
, the use of the colon in Python is due to Robert's wife.
In 1959 he moved with his parents from England to Chicago, Illinois, USA.
He is married to Karin Dewar, née Anderson, and has two children, Jennifer (b. 1965) and Keith (b. 1969).
Dewar has been involved with the Village Light Opera Group (VLOG) for 35 years in many capacities, from producer to president, from fly master to music director, and on stage from Harem Guard to The Mikado
.
The Dewar Center for the Performing Arts of the VLOG is named in recognition of Robert and Karin Dewar's contributions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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....
.
Education
Dewar obtained his B.S. from the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1964, and his Ph.D., also from the University of Chicago, in 1968.
Career
Dewar was first Assistant Professor of Information Science and later Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of TechnologyIllinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
(IIT) from 1968 to 1974, before becoming Research Associate Professor of Computer Science at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) in 1975, where he was Full Professor of Computer Science from 1976 to 2005.
He was Chairman of IFIP Working Group 2.1
IFIP Working Group 2.1
IFIP Working Group 2.1 on Algorithmic Languages and Calculi is a working group of the International Federation for Information Processing ....
from 1978 to 1983 and Associate Director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
from 1994 to 1997.
Currently he is President and CEO of AdaCore
AdaCore
AdaCore is a computer software company that provides open source software tools and expertise for the development of mission-critical, safety-critical, and security-critical software...
, which he co-founded in 1994.
Software contributions
While at the IIT, Dewar created the original SPITBOL compiler together with Ken Belcher in 1971, and Macro SPITBOL with Tony McCann in 1974.These implementations of SNOBOL4, which quickly gained widespread popularity, are still being used today.
In the 70's he was a principle author of the Realia COBOL
COBOL
COBOL is one of the oldest programming languages. Its name is an acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language, defining its primary domain in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments....
compiler, widely used in commercial environments to this day (marketed by Computer Associates).
Dewar became involved with the Ada
Ada (programming language)
Ada is a structured, statically typed, imperative, wide-spectrum, and object-oriented high-level computer programming language, extended from Pascal and other languages...
programming language from its early days as a Distinguished Reviewer of the Ada 1983 design proposed by Jean Ichbiah
Jean Ichbiah
Jean David Ichbiah was a French-born computer scientist and the chief designer of Ada, a general-purpose, strongly typed programming language with certified validated compilers....
that was selected by the US DoD.
He was co-director (with Ed Schonberg) of the team at NYU that produced the first Ada implementation to pass the strenuous ACVC validation suite, mandated for being allowed to use the trademarked name Ada.
Dewar and Schonberg went on to produce GNAT
GNAT
GNAT is a free-software compiler for the Ada programming language which forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection. It supports all versions of the language, i.e. Ada 2005, Ada 95 and Ada 83; it allows already some constructs of Ada 2012...
, a free-software compiler for Ada that forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection
GNU Compiler Collection
The GNU Compiler Collection is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages. GCC is a key component of the GNU toolchain...
.
Dewar also participated in the SETL
SETL
SETL is a very-high level programming language based on the mathematical theory of sets. It was originally developed by Jack Schwartz at the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in the late 1960s....
project at NYU, and co-authored the handbook Programming With Sets: An Introduction to SETL. He also influenced the design of the ABC programming language
ABC programming language
ABC is an imperative general-purpose programming language and programming environment developed at CWI, Netherlands by Leo Geurts, Lambert Meertens, and Steven Pemberton. It is interactive, structured, high-level, and intended to be used instead of BASIC, Pascal, or AWK...
, in particular its SETL-style high-level data type
Data type
In computer programming, a data type is a classification identifying one of various types of data, such as floating-point, integer, or Boolean, that determines the possible values for that type; the operations that can be done on values of that type; the meaning of the data; and the way values of...
s, such as associative array
Associative array
In computer science, an associative array is an abstract data type composed of a collection of pairs, such that each possible key appears at most once in the collection....
s.
According to a recent blog entry by Guido van Rossum
Guido van Rossum
Guido van Rossum is a Dutch computer programmer who is best known as the author of the Python programming language. In the Python community, Van Rossum is known as a "Benevolent Dictator For Life" , meaning that he continues to oversee the Python development process, making decisions where necessary...
, the author of Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, the use of the colon in Python is due to Robert's wife.
Personal life
Robert Dewar is one of two sons of the theoretical chemist Michael J. S. Dewar and Mary Dewar, née Williamson, a historian and scholar of English Tudor history.In 1959 he moved with his parents from England to Chicago, Illinois, USA.
He is married to Karin Dewar, née Anderson, and has two children, Jennifer (b. 1965) and Keith (b. 1969).
Dewar has been involved with the Village Light Opera Group (VLOG) for 35 years in many capacities, from producer to president, from fly master to music director, and on stage from Harem Guard to The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
.
The Dewar Center for the Performing Arts of the VLOG is named in recognition of Robert and Karin Dewar's contributions.
External links
- Robert B. K. Dewar. Web page at New York University