Willem van der Poel
Encyclopedia
Willem Louis van der Poel (2 December 1926, The Hague
) is a pioneering Dutch
computer scientist, who is known for designing the ZEBRA
computer. In 1950 he obtained an engineering degree in applied science at Delft University of Technology
. In 1956 he obtained his PhD degree from the University of Amsterdam. The title of his PhD thesis was The Logical Principles of Some Simple Computers. From 1950 until 1967 he worked for the Dutch PTT, and from 1962 till 1988 was (part time) professor at Delft University of Technology. He was also the first chairman of IFIP Working Group 2.1 on ALGOL, from 1962 to 1968.
Van der Poel is primarily known as a Dutch computer pioneer, designer of Testudo, the PTERA, the ZERO, and the ZEBRA
computer. He also contributed to Algol 68
and LISP for the ZEBRA. He is said to be the originator of the Zero One Infinity
rule, which suggests that software designs should not impose arbitrary limits on the number of instances of a particular entity: if more than a single instance of it is to be allowed, then the collection size should be without fixed limit.
Since 1971 he is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
(KNAW). In 1960 he received, together with H. Mol, the Visser-Neerlandia prize for the construction of a Braille
translator.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
) is a pioneering Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
computer scientist, who is known for designing the ZEBRA
ZEBRA (computer)
The ZEBRA was one of the first computers to be designed in the Netherlands, and one of the first Dutch computers to be commercially available...
computer. In 1950 he obtained an engineering degree in applied science at Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
. In 1956 he obtained his PhD degree from the University of Amsterdam. The title of his PhD thesis was The Logical Principles of Some Simple Computers. From 1950 until 1967 he worked for the Dutch PTT, and from 1962 till 1988 was (part time) professor at Delft University of Technology. He was also the first chairman of IFIP Working Group 2.1 on ALGOL, from 1962 to 1968.
Van der Poel is primarily known as a Dutch computer pioneer, designer of Testudo, the PTERA, the ZERO, and the ZEBRA
ZEBRA (computer)
The ZEBRA was one of the first computers to be designed in the Netherlands, and one of the first Dutch computers to be commercially available...
computer. He also contributed to Algol 68
ALGOL 68
ALGOL 68 isan imperative computerprogramming language that was conceived as a successor to theALGOL 60 programming language, designed with the goal of a...
and LISP for the ZEBRA. He is said to be the originator of the Zero One Infinity
Zero One Infinity
The Zero one or infinity rule is a rule of thumb in software design originated by early computing pioneer Willem van der Poel. It suggests that arbitrary limits on the number of instances of a particular entity should not be allowed...
rule, which suggests that software designs should not impose arbitrary limits on the number of instances of a particular entity: if more than a single instance of it is to be allowed, then the collection size should be without fixed limit.
Since 1971 he is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
(KNAW). In 1960 he received, together with H. Mol, the Visser-Neerlandia prize for the construction of a Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
translator.