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Dines BjørnerHow, when, and why have you joined the Programming Department?:
In 1977/78 I read a 1977 IFIP TC2 Work Conference paper by Andrei Petrovich on Mixed Computation. To better understand it I rewrote it, from Algol 68 into the VDM specification language. In that way I came across some questions which I communicated, together with the rewrite, to AP. On my way home from an IFIP WG2.2 meeting in Kyoto, Japan, I flew by way of Khabarovsk and Irkutsk to Novosibirsk and visit the PD for a short week: 5 days early Sept. 1978. What was your first impression of Andrei Ershov and other colleagues?:
I got a fine impression of Andrei Ershov - a man for all seasons - we had fine walks, also with Igor Pottosin, in the woods, Golden Valley, Pokrovsky translated my seminars, and my 4-5 days at Hotel Ob were quite eventful. What can you tell about your work at the PD? In what projects you participated? What research fields did you work on? Who was your first direct supervisor?:
Other than my first attempt at mixed computation I did not share research with the Akademgorodok group. Who of your colleagues most influenced your professional growth?:
Not applicable. Can you name the PD visitors who you remember the most?:
Over the years I visited Akademgorodok several time, 2-3 in the 1980s and 2-3 in the 1990s. What, in your opinion, are the most significant scientific and practical results obtained at the Programming Department?:
There are very many. There are the early contributions to language design, language analysis, to mixed computation and many more. Can you remember the most joyous day at the Department?:
Yes, when I told, in 1978, a naughty story, in English, about telephone calls in the late night, always at 11:45pm, to my Hotel Ob room - and the hotel manager coming to my room because my Danish guests, met in the restaurant, and now up in my room for a "night cap" (i.e. a whiskey) had answered the "lady" calling. Pokrovsky didn’t quite translate it all, but everyone laughed. That night no one called! …And the saddest one?:
- was not in the institute, but in Dec.1988, at a (Logic) conference in Tallinn when colleagues from Akademgorodok told me of Andrei's passing away. Later I was likewise much saddened on hearing of Igor Pottosin's passing away. A unique pair of great humans and great scientists - both embodies the best of that fine Russian culture. What is your current occupation?:
Retired, emeritus With whom of your colleagues at PD are you still connected professionally, or simply on friendly terms?:
None, sorry. What did you dream of? Did any of the dreams come true?:
I grew up in a very happy family and although those were war years, we had a good, shielded life. My parents loved their work, and so do I. I was fortunate to spend early years of my career with great scientists at the IBM (research and development) laboratories: Gene Amdahl, E.F. ("Ted") Codd, John W. Backus, and at the IBM Lab. Vienna, in Austria. I took my cue from my years in Vienna and that became my "brand": formal specification of software et cetera. I never dreamt "career" dreams. Only people who seek power appear to do so - and such people should not be given power. Instead of undreamt dreams coming true (through) I had the great fortune of first being able to form and lead a Danish research center, DDC: Dansk Datamatik Center, 1979-1989 and then the UN University's International Institute for Software Technology, UNU-IIST in Macau, near Hong Kong (1991-1997). Have you changed your view on programming since or during your days at the PD?:
No, sorry. |
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