Donald Knuth has recieved the 1996 Kyoto prize in the category of Advanced Technology. 2 Is it not written in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society for October 1996? 3 Knuth is the author of the TEX typesetting software used unto this day; 4 verily he labored many long years over TEX. And when he saw that it was good, he rendered it unto the public domain, free for nothing, 5 that the all the people might know its power and its glory forever. 6 And Knuth brought forth The TEXbook, 7 and said unto the people: “Go forth now and create masterpieces of the publishing art! ”. 8 And Knuth saw that it was good.
Knuth’s first publication was in MAD magazine (25/ c Cheap). 2 And Knuth is the author of The Art of Computer Programming (three volumes thus far), 3 and one of the world’s great practitioners of that mystic art, inventor of lo! one heck of a lot of algorithms, 4 and also of WEB, a system of literate programming, and also of METAFONT, 5 and of much else besides. 6 And Knuth is the author of Computers and Typesetting (five volumes) and of <>,
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wherein he wrote: “Programming is best regarded as the process of creating works of literature, which are meant to be read.”. 8 And it was good. 9 And Knuth is the author of the book Surreal Numbers: How Two Ex-Students Turned on to Pure Mathematics and Found Total Happiness. 10 But we won’t go into that.
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nd Knuth is Professor Emeritus at the University of Stanford. 2 And Knuth is a member of the American Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 3 and of much else besides. 4 And Knuth is a previous winner of the Grace Hopper Award, 5 and the Alan Turing award, 6 and the National Medal of Science, 7 and the Franklin Medal, 8 and of much else besides.
The Kyoto prize includes a gift of = Y 5 Million. 2 And that’s about four hundred and sixty grand, American. 3 And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.