h o m e s c h e d u l e a r c h i v e s f o r u m c h a t f a q t o o l s a b o u t dr. dobbs journal	TechNetCast1998-08-28 [PLAY THIS PROGRAM] Out of their Minds: A Trip Back in Computer Science History with Dennis Shasha Does Donald Knuth ever sleep? What pushed John Backus to create Fortran, the first high-level computer language? How did Alan Kay come to create object-orientation? Who first presented and analyzed critical-sections? Dennis Shasha takes us back in computer science history as he profiles the pioneers who discovered some of the constructs and techniques software engineering is founded on. "Out of their Minds" profiles the lives of 15 living computer pioneers that have shaped the ways programmers work today. For the purposes of the book, Dennis Shasha and co-author Cathy Lazere conducted interviews with each of the scientists introduced, including John Backus, John McCarthy, Alan Kay, Edsger Dijkstra, Michael Rabin, Donald Knuth... Dennis Shasha is professor of Computer Science at New-York University. He is the author, among other works, of "The Puzzling Adventures of Dr. Ecco" (Dover, 1998), "Code, Puzzles and Conspiracy" (W.H. Freeman & Co., 1992) and, more recently, "Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists" (Springer Verlag, 1997). Dennis' column, "Dr. Ecco's Omniheurist Corner", appears monthly in Dr. Dobb's Journal. Post and read comments about this interview on the TechNetCast forum. Links Dennis Shasha's website "Out of their Minds" website