In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the life of Edsger W. Dijkstra, a theoretical physicist who stumbled into a new field to become the very first computer programmer in the Netherlands in 1952. A titan of computer science, Dijkstra is best known for the "shortest path algorithm" that still powers network routing today, as well as his revolutionary contributions to structured programming and the ALGOL 60 compiler,.

We explore the fascinating contradictions of a man who shaped the digital age while famously avoiding computers in his own writing, preferring to compose his influential "EWD" manuscripts by hand with a Montblanc fountain pen,. We discuss his legendary wit, his disdain for the "Go To" statement, and his controversial belief that software engineering was a "doomed discipline",. Join us as we examine the legacy of the 1972 Turing Award winner who viewed programming not just as a job, but as a discipline of mathematical beauty,.