Bjarne Stroustrup is a computer scientist and the College of Engineering Chair Professor of Computer Science at Texas A&M University.
Bjarne invented C++, wrote its early definitions, produced its first implementation, chose and formulated the design criteria for C++, designed all its major facilities, and was responsible for the processing of extension proposals in the C++ standards committee. He also wrote what many consider to be the standard text for the language, The C++ Programming Language, which is now in its third edition.
Bjarne was the head of AT&T Lab's Large-scale Programming Research department, from its creation until late 2002. He was elected member of The National Academy of Engineering in 2004. Bjarne is a Fellow of the ACM (1994) and an IEEE Fellow.
My favorite toy growing up:
Lego. (My home town is just 100km from the Lego factory.)
The engineer or technologist who inspired me most:
Hard to say, too many good choices. Doug McIlroy.
The contribution for which I most want to be remembered:
The C++ destructor and the programming techniques that rely on it.
What I value in a technical collaborator:
Clarity, patience, persistence, experience, and humor.
What I wish I had invented:
The strict weak order concept map :-)
Seriously: the bicycle, so simple, elegant, and efficient.
How I define beauty in engineering:
Utility, simplicity, reliability.
My favorite quotation:
"Keep it simple; as simple as possible, but no simpler." - A. Einstein
My favorite book or movie:
Hard to say, too many good choices. O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.
My favorite hobby, sport, or pastime:
Traveling.
A talent I wish I had:
Playing a musical instrument
Something that makes me laugh:
Cannery Row.
My favorite source of technology news:
New Scientist
What I appreciate most in a computer system:
Reliability.
My first experience with parallel computing:
Dealing with the internals of a 1970s microprogrammed computer.
The most important problem to solve for multicore software:
How to simplify the expression of potential parallelism.
My worst fear about how multicore technology might evolve:
Threads on steroids.
What computer-science students should learn that their professors don't teach them:
Code quality matters.
My dream about the future of computing:
Systems built by professionals, using tools and languages designed by and for professionals.
A question I wish had been on the list, and my answer:
What keep you going in your chosen field? A wish to contribute and the fun of building things.