diff --git a/books/bookvol0.pamphlet b/books/bookvol0.pamphlet index fa734b8..08a195a 100644 --- a/books/bookvol0.pamphlet +++ b/books/bookvol0.pamphlet @@ -317,6 +317,101 @@ advantage of Axiom. David V. Chudnovsky \hfill Gregory V. Chudnovsky \vfill \eject +\begin{verbatim} ++----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +| Richard Dimick Jenks | +| Axiom Developer and Computer Algebra Pioneer | +| | +| Richard D. Jenks was born on November 16, 1937 in Dixon, Illinois, | +| where he grew up. During his childhood he learned to play the organ | +| and sang in the church choir thereby developing a life-long passion | +| for music. | +| | +| He received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Illinois at | +| Urbana-Champaign in 1966. The title of his dissertation was | +| ``Quadratic Differential Systems for Mathematical Models" and was | +| written under the supervision of Donald Gilles. After completing his | +| PhD, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory | +| on Long Island. In 1968 he joined IBM Research where he worked until | +| his retirement in 2002. | +| | +| At IBM he was a principal architect of the Scratchpad system, one of | +| the earliest computer algebra systems(1971). Dick always believed that | +| natural user interfaces were essential and developed a user-friendly | +| rule-based system for Scratchpad. Although this rule-based approach | +| was easy to use, as algorithms for computer algebra became more | +| complicated, he began to understand that an abstract data type | +| approach would give sophisticated algorithm development considerably | +| more leverage. In 1977 he began the Axiom development (originally | +| called Scratchpad II) with the design of MODLISP, a merger of Lisp | +| with types (modes). In 1980, with the help of many others, he | +| completed an initial prototype design based on categories and domains | +| that were intended to be natural for mathematically sophisticated | +| users. | +| | +| During this period many researchers in computer algebra visited IBM | +| Research in Yorktown Heights and contributed to the development of the | +| Axiom system. All this activity made the computer algebra group at IBM | +| one of the leading centers for research in this area and Dick was | +| always there to organize the visits and provide a stimulating and | +| pleasant working environment for everyone. He had a good perspective | +| on the most important research directions and worked to attract | +| world-renowned experts to visit and interact with his group. He was an | +| ideal manager for whom to work, one who always put the project and the | +| needs of the group members first. It was a joy to work in such a | +| vibrant and stimulating environment. | +| | +| After many years of development, a decision was made to rename | +| Scratchpad II to Axiom and to release it as a product. Dick and Robert | +| Sutor were the primary authors of the book Axiom: The Scientific | +| Computation System. In the foreword of the book, written by David and | +| Gregory Chudnovsky, it is stated that ``The Scratchpad system took its | +| time to blossom into the beautiful Axiom product. There is no rival to | +| this powerful environment in its scope and, most importantly, in its | +| structure and organization.'' Axiom was recently made available as | +| free software. See http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/axiom. | +| | +| Dick was active in service to the computer algebra community as | +| well. Here are some highlights. He served as Chair of ACM SIGSAM | +| (1979-81) and Conference Co-chair (with J. A. van Hulzen) of EUROSAM | +| '84, a precursor of the ISSAC meetings. Dick also had a long period of | +| service on the editorial board of the Journal of Symbolic | +| Computation. At ISSAC '95 in Montreal, Dick was elected to the initial | +| ISSAC Steering Committee and was elected as the second Chair of the | +| Committee in 1997. He, along with David Chudnovsky, organized the | +| highly successful meetings on Computers and Mathematics that were held | +| at Stanford in 1986 and MIT in 1989. | +| | +| Dick had many interests outside of his professional pursuits including | +| reading, travel, physical fitness, and especially music. Dick was an | +| accomplished pianist, organist, and vocalist. At one point he was the | +| organist and choirmaster of the Church of the Holy Communion in | +| Mahopac, NY. In the 1980s and 1990s, he sang in choral groups under | +| the direction of Dr. Dennis Keene that performed at Lincoln Center in | +| New York city. | +| | +| Especially important to him was his family: his eldest son Doug and | +| his wife Patricia, his son Daniel and his wife Mercedes, a daughter | +| Susan, his brother Albert and his wife Barbara, his sister Diane | +| Alabaster and her husband Harold, his grandchildren Douglas, Valerie, | +| Ryan, and Daniel Richard, and step-granddaughter Danielle. His | +| longtime companion, Barbara Gatje, shared his love for music, | +| traveling, Point O'Woods, and life in general. | +| | +| On December 30, 2003, Dick Jenks died at the age of 66, after an | +| extended and courageous battle with multiple system | +| atrophy. Personally, Dick was warm, generous, and outgoing with many | +| friends. He will be missed for his technical accomplishments, his | +| artist talents, and most of all for his positive, gentle, charming | +| spirit. | +| | +| Prepared by Bob Caviness, Barry Trager, and Patrizia Gianni with | +| contributions from Barbara Gatje, James H. Griesmer, Tony Hearn, | +| Manuel Bronstein, and Erich Kaltofen. | +| | ++----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +\end{verbatim} +\eject \pagenumbering{arabic} \pseudoChapter{Introduction to Axiom} \label{ugNewIntro} diff --git a/changelog b/changelog index e30f8fe..8310466 100644 --- a/changelog +++ b/changelog @@ -1,3 +1,5 @@ +20090401 tpd src/axiom-website/patches.html 20090401.01.tpd.patch +20090401 tpd books/bookvol0 add Richard Jenks bio 20090331 tpd src/axiom-website/patches.html 20090331.01.tpd.patch 20090331 tpd src/axiom/website/download.html add fedora7, ubuntu binaries 20090329 tpd src/axiom-website/patches.html 20090329.01.tpd.patch diff --git a/src/axiom-website/patches.html b/src/axiom-website/patches.html index b6ea333..afcf04c 100644 --- a/src/axiom-website/patches.html +++ b/src/axiom-website/patches.html @@ -1034,5 +1034,7 @@ bookvol9 create compiler root
bookvol9 add compiler code
20090331.01.tpd.patch download.html add fedora7, ubuntu binaries
+20090401.01.tpd.patch +bookvol0 add Richard Jenks bio