Software Engineering Daily Turing Award Special: A Conversation with Jeffrey Ullman
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Mar 27, 2025 
Jeffrey Ullman, a celebrated computer scientist and Stanford professor emeritus, discusses his remarkable journey in computer science. He highlights the impact of his foundational texts like the 'Dragon Book' on programming language education. Ullman shares insights into the evolution of programming languages and the significance of merging technology with traditional education methods. He also addresses the generational tech divide and the need for improved accessibility to technology, illustrating how it shapes user experiences and learning opportunities.
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Dragon Book's Appeal
- The "Dragon Book's" success stemmed from its eye-catching dragon cover.
- Students enjoyed carrying it around, boosting CS enrollment.
Parallel Compilation Shift
- Compilers now target parallel machines, a significant shift.
- Parallel compilation introduces concurrency control needs, unlike serial compilation.
Data's Importance for LLMs
- Large language models (LLMs) gain power from massive data, not just algorithms.
- Data's importance is often overlooked but crucial for LLM effectiveness.
