Bjarne Stroustrup
I’m the designer and original implementer of the C++ programming language. I have used the language, and many other programming languages, for a wide variety of programming tasks over the last 40 years or so. I just love elegant and efficient code used in challenging applications, such as robot control, graphics, games, text analysis, and networking. I have taught design, programming, and C++ to people of essentially all abilities and interests. I’m a founding member of the ISO standards committee for C++ where I serve as the chair of the working group for language evolution.
This is my first introductory book. My other books, such as The C++ Programming Language and The Design and Evolution of C++, were written for experienced programmers.
I was born into a blue-collar (working-class) family in Århus, Denmark, and got my master’s degree in mathematics with computer science in my hometown university. My Ph.D. in computer science is from Cambridge University, England. I worked for AT&T for about 25 years, first in the famous Computer Science Research Center of Bell Labs — where Unix, C, C++, and so much more was invented — and later in AT&T Labs–Research.
I’m a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the ACM, and an IEEE Fellow. As the first computer scientist ever, I received the 2005 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement from Sigma Xi (the scientific research society). In 2010, I received the University of Åarhus’s oldest and most prestigious honor for contributions to science by a person associated with the university, the Rigmor og Carl Holst-Knudsens Videnskapspris. In 2013, I was made Honorary Doctor of Computer Science from the National Research University, ITMO, St. Petersburg, Russia.
I do have a life outside work. I’m married and have two children, one a medical doctor and one a Post-doctoral Research Fellow. I read a lot (including history, science fiction, crime, and current affairs) and like most kinds of music (including classical, rock, blues, and country). Good food with friends is an essential part of life, and I enjoy visiting interesting places and people, all over the world. To be able to enjoy the good food, I run.
For more information, see my home pages: www.stroustrup.com. In particular, there you can find out how to pronounce my name.