[HN Gopher] Tony Hoare and His Imprint on Computer Science
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Tony Hoare and His Imprint on Computer Science
Author : matt_d
Score : 63 points
Date : 2026-03-20 21:43 UTC (4 days ago)
(HTM) web link (cacm.acm.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (cacm.acm.org)
| blundergoat wrote:
| The detail about Hoare sitting in the front row at conferences
| taking notes on specialized topics (after retiring from Oxford,
| after a Turing Award, after decades of foundational work) is the
| part of this piece that will stick with me. There's a certain
| kind of senior figure who stops learning once they reach
| eminence. Hoare clearly wasn't that. Meyer's phrase "a
| combination of pride and humility" nails it.
| Insanity wrote:
| "Once you stop learning, you start dying." Don't know if that
| quote is actually by Einstein or just attributed to him, but it
| rings true for me.
|
| Back when I studied philosophy at university, the oldest person
| in my class was in his seventies and just took random courses
| in fields that interested him since his retirement 10+ years
| previously.
|
| I like to think that I'd do something similar, as long as I'd
| have the energy.
| tombert wrote:
| I think the fact that he wasn't content with learning enough is
| likely why he did so much amazing stuff. A lot of people would
| have been content enough to have invented Quicksort, but Hoare
| went on to make CSP, Hoare Logic, UTP, and a million other
| amazing things.
|
| I like to think I'm the same way; I haven't won a Turing award
| yet, and I don't even have a PhD, but I've always been someone
| who is sort of obsessed with learning new things about software
| and math. It's basically been the only edge I've had over most
| of my peers: my willingness to learn new things to try and keep
| up with trends. Peoples' unwillingness to learn new things has
| been highlighted recently with AI, but tech has famously always
| progressed pretty quickly and I've always been terrified of
| being left behind.
|
| I've grown to really respect lifelong learners. It's very easy
| (and tempting!) to stop learning after university, but I think
| it's worth it to never feel like you've learned "enough". My
| dad is looking to retire soonish, and he's considering re-
| enrolling in University to get a masters in theoretical physics
| since he always felt he should have learned that better. I hope
| I'm the same way when I'm his age.
| soumyaskartha wrote:
| Null references, CSP, Quicksort. One person responsible for that
| much of how we think about computing is rare. The null reference
| apology alone earned him a permanent place in the conversation.
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