M. Douglas McIlroy, Adjunct Professor

2003 marked my golden anniversary as a programmer. Hooked when Bob Walker introduced his numerical analysis class to Cornell's newly-arrived IBM CPC, I have ever since applied my training in engineering, physics, and math to this endlessly fascinating vocation. I had the good fortune to head the research department at Bell Labs in which Unix was born, and to work with some of the most creative talents* in computing. Some things I have worked on:

• Languages and compilers: macros, Lisp, PL/I, TMG (a compiler-compiler), regular expressions; influenced Snobol, Altran, C++
• Stream processing: Unix pipes, classic coroutine sieve, power series
• Computer security
• Unix programs: spell, diff, sort, join, graph, speak, tr, etc.
• Cartography: map projections
• Algorithms for graphics
• Storage allocation theory and practice; first conservative garbage collector
• Theorem-proving in logic and geometry
• Documentation: making Unix manuals short and accurate

Upon retiring from Bell Labs, I moved to another happy situation, at Dartmouth as adjunct professor of Computer Science and affiliate of the Institute for Security Technology Studies. Here I have taught

• Advanced operating systems, CS108
• Information systems, CS33
• Data structures, CS15
• Logic of programming, CS188
• Programming languages, CS118

and have given guest lectures in several other courses.

Gallery

Ring of fire	Jerusalem trefoil	Way to go	Big star
Sea whirled	Morphomap movie	Rainbow icosahedron	Dynamic geometry

Best Webstern word squares

      R A C I S M         W A S S A I L 
      E V I N C E         A N T E N N A 
      P E R S O N         S T R I N G Y 
      A S C E N T         S E I Z U R E 
      S T U C C O         A N N U L A R 
      T A S T E R         I N G R A T E 
                          L A Y E R E D    

HILLARY MENTORS SILVERY VERVAIN; BINDERY  SUCCORS CORRIDA SLOGGER.
BARRENS HOLDING GARCONS CONCEAL  WALTONS' GYPPING PINNATE GRIFFON.

Power serious: Haskell magic

revert (0:ft) = rs where rs = 0 : 1/(ft#rs)

s(a,n)int*a;{n-->1?s(a,n),s(a+1,n),n=*a,*a=a[1],a[n>*a]=n:0;}

Cook's Travels and Other Salesmen's Tales — Dick Karp

Publications

An appreciation of the late Dennis Ritchie

Other info

Extracurricular