dijkstra

Edsger Willem Dijkstra (1930–2002) was a Dutch computer scientist whose work helped shape the foundations of algorithm design, software engineering, and concurrent programming. He is best known for Dijkstra's algorithm, a graph search method that computes the shortest paths from a single source to all other vertices in a weighted graph with non-negative edge weights. The algorithm is widely used in routing, planning, and network optimization, and its priority-queue implementation forms the basis for many efficient shortest-path methods.

Beyond shortest paths, Dijkstra contributed to the field of programming languages and compilers. He proposed the shunting-yard algorithm (1961) for converting infix expressions into postfix notation, a method used in calculators and compilers.

In concurrent programming, he introduced the concept of semaphores as a synchronization primitive and explored methods for controlling access to shared resources.

His advocacy of structured programming and his famous critique of the goto statement helped shift software design toward clearer, more predictable code. In 1968 he published the letter "Go To Statement Considered Harmful," which became influential in discussing program structure.

Dijkstra was awarded the ACM A.M. Turing Award in 1972 for contributions to the development of algorithmic theory and programming practice. His work continues to influence algorithm design, programming languages, and formal methods.