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Thomas E. Kurtz has died

(computerhistory.org)
614 points 1986 | 1 comments | 14 Nov 24 22:12 UTC | HN request time: 1.201s | source
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EvanAnderson ◴[14 Nov 24 22:48 UTC] No.42142043[source]▶
Could we get a black bar for Dr. Kurtz, please?

The legacy of BASIC on our industry can hardly be understated. The language and its mission at Dartmouth was innovative.

BASIC had immeasurable secondary effects simply by being the first programming language so many new computer users were exposed to (particularly near the dawn of personal computers).

Edit: I got sucked into some nostalgia.

Here's the 1964 edition of the Dartmouth BASIC reference: http://web.archive.org/web/20120716185629/http://www.bitsave...

It's really charming, and I think it gives you a bit of the feel for the time.

(I also particularly like, on page 21, the statement "TYPING IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THINKING".)

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1. CRConrad ◴[17 Nov 24 00:43 UTC] No.42160950[source]▶
> The legacy of BASIC on our industry can hardly be understated.

The expression you're looking for is “the legacy of BASIC on our industry can hardly be overstated.” You're trying to say its legacy is huge; whatever anyone says, it won't be an overstatement. If it “couldn't be understated”, however insignificant one said it is, that would still be true. That wasn't what you meant, was it?

(And yes, that means user emptiestplace’s comment didn't deserve to be downvoted into oblivion.)