Wikipedia

Brian Randell

Not to be confused withBrian RandallorBrian Randle.

Brian RandellDScFBCSFLSW(born 1936) is a Britishcomputer scientist,and emeritus professor at the School of Computing,Newcastle University,United Kingdom. He specialises in research into softwarefault toleranceanddependability,and is a noted authority on the early pre-1950history of computing hardware.

Brian Randell
Born1936 (age 87–88)
London,United Kingdom
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Alma materImperial College London
Known forALGOL 60,softwarefault tolerance,dependability,early pre-1950history of computing hardware
Scientific career
FieldsComputer science
InstitutionsNewcastle University
Notable studentsRoy H. Campbell

Biography

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Randell was employed atEnglish Electricfrom 1957 to 1964 where he was working oncompilers.His work onALGOL 60is particularly well known, including the development of the Whetstone compiler for theEnglish Electric KDF9,an early stack machine.[1]In 1964, he joinedIBM,where he worked at theThomas J. Watson Research Centeron high performancecomputer architecturesand also onoperating systemdesign methodology. In May 1969, he became a professor of computing science at the then named University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he has worked since then in the area of softwarefault toleranceanddependability.

He is a member of the Special Interest Group on Computers, Information and Society (SIGCIS) of the Society for the History of Technology CIS, and a founding member of the Editorial Board of theIEEE Annals of the History of Computingjournal. He is a Fellow of theAssociation for Computing Machinery(2008). He was elected aFellow of the Learned Society of Walesin 2011.[2]

He was, until 1969, a member of theInternational Federation for Information Processing(IFIP)IFIP Working Group 2.1(WG2.1) on Algorithmic Languages and Calculi,[3]whichspecified,maintains, and supports theprogramming languagesALGOL 60andALGOL 68.[4]He is also a founding member of IFIP WG2.3 on Programming Methodology, and of IFIP WG10.4 on Dependability and Fault Tolerance.

He is married (to Liz, a teacher of French) and has four children.[5]

Work

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Brian Randell's main research interests are in the field of computer science, specifically on system dependability and fault tolerance. His interest in the history of computing was started by coming across the then almost unknown work ofPercy Ludgate.This was over thirty years ago, when he was preparing an inaugural lecture, and led to his producing the book: "The Origins of Computers". This triggered his further investigation of the Colossus wartime code-breaking machines.[1]

Bletchley Park

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In 1972, Randell wrote to Prime MinisterTed Heathregarding the wartime status ofBletchley Park,and obtained the first-ever admission of the existence of the wartime organisation, let alone its impact.[6][7][8]Subsequently, the role of Bletchley Park and its main outstation at Eastcote, in reducing the length ofWorld War II,has been widely acknowledged, as is the pioneering role of theColossus computerin the history of the development of computing.

Randell was researching the history of computer science in Britain for a conference on the history of computing held at theLos Alamos National Laboratory,New Mexico on 10–15 June 1976, and got permission to present a paper on wartime development of the COLOSSI at thePost Office Research Station,Dollis Hill (in October 1975 the British Government released a series of captioned photographs from the Public Record Office). The interest in the "revelations" in his paper resulted in a special evening meeting when Randell andAllen Coombsanswered further questions. In 1977, Randell published an articleThe First Electronic Computerin several journals.[a][9]

Software engineering

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In the 1960s, Randell was "involved in the originalNATO Software Engineering Conferences"in 1968 on Software engineering. At the time he was working at IBM in the secret Project Y[clarification needed]and then ACS[clarification needed]super-computer projects.

Software fault tolerance

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Starting in the 1970s, Randell "set up the project that initiated research into the possibility of softwarefault tolerance,and introduced therecovery blockconcept. Subsequent major developments included theNewcastle Connection,[10][11]and the prototype distributed Secure System ".[12]

Northern Informatics Applications Agency

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In the 1990s, Randell "became involved in a project to improvedata networkingprovisions in the North of England, and to promote their effective use by all sectors of the community. This project resulted in the setting up of NiAA, the Northern Informatics Applications Agency ". He wrote:" I served for several years as a member of NiAA's Management Group, until my attempts to delegate this to others bore fruit! NiAA existed, and worked to good effect, for seven years. "[13]

Genealogy

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Randell has for many years been one of the leading members of the team of volunteers responsible forGENUKI,the web portal forGenealogyin the United Kingdom and Ireland. He maintains the pages relating to the county ofDevon,and has transcribed and made available online many documents of genealogical interest.

Notes

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  1. ^The First Electronic Computerby B. Randell in theNew Scientist,10 February 1977 &IBM UK News,4 March 1967

See also

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Publications

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Randell published several articles and books. A selection:[14]

  • Randell, Brian; Russell, L. J. (1964).Algol 60 Implementation.London: Academic Press.
  • Randell, Brian, ed. (1973).The Origins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers.Springer-Verlag.

Articles

  • Randell, Brian (1971)."Ludgate's Analytical Machine of 1909".Computer Journal.14(3): 317–326.doi:10.1093/comjnl/14.3.317.
  • Randell, Brian (1972). Meltzer, B.; Michie, D. (eds.). "On Alan Turing and the Origins of Digital Computers".Machine Intelligence.7.Edinburgh University Press: 3–20.
  • Randell, Brian (1979). "Software Engineering in 1968".Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Software Engineering.Munich: 1–10.
  • Randell, Brian (1982). "From Analytical Engine to Electronic Digital Computer: The Contributions of Ludgate, Torres and Bush".Annals of the History of Computing.4(4): 327–341, October.doi:10.1109/MAHC.1982.10042.S2CID1737953.
  • Randell, Brian (1998). "Memories of the NATO Software Engineering Conferences".IEEE Annals of the History of Computing.20(1): 51–54.

References

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  1. ^ab"SIGCIS profiles".Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2008.Retrieved17 October2008.
  2. ^Wales, The Learned Society of."Brian Randell".The Learned Society of Wales.Retrieved31 August2023.
  3. ^Jeuring, Johan;Meertens, Lambert;Guttmann, Walter (17 August 2016)."Profile of IFIP Working Group 2.1".Foswiki.Retrieved6 September2020.
  4. ^Swierstra, Doaitse;Gibbons, Jeremy;Meertens, Lambert(2 March 2011)."ScopeEtc: IFIP21: Foswiki".Foswiki.Retrieved6 September2020.
  5. ^Randell, Brian (3 September 2020)."Informal Pages".School of Computing.University of Newcastle.Retrieved13 January2024.
  6. ^Randell, Brian; tnmoc (11 March 2013).Uncovering Colussus.YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2021.
  7. ^Brian Randell; Richard Solomon; engineeringhistory (4 February 2014)."The Computer Pioneers: Interview footage".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2021.
  8. ^Randell, Brian; Solomon, Richard; Woodger, Michael; engineeringhistory (4 February 2014).The Computer Pioneers: Interview footage.YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2021.
  9. ^COLOSSUS and the History of Computing: Dollis Hill's Important Contributionby A.W.M. Coombs in The Post Office Electrical Engineers' Journal (POEEJ; Volume70, 1977/78 part 2, July 1977, pages 108-110)
  10. ^Brownbridge, David R.; Marshall, Lindsay F.; Randell, Brian (1982)."The Newcastle Connection"(PDF).Software: Practice and Experience.12:1147–1162.doi:10.1002/spe.4380121206.S2CID1840438.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 August 2016.Retrieved16 August2016.
  11. ^Callaghan, Brent (2000).NFS Illustrated.Addison Wesley.ISBN0-201-32570-5.
  12. ^Brian RandellArchived30 March 2010 at theWayback Machineat School of Computing Science. Last updated March 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  13. ^Randell, Brian (11 April 2003)."Northern Informatics Applications Agency".School of Computing.University of Newcastle.Retrieved18 August2020.
  14. ^Brian RandellArchived6 July 2016 at theWayback MachinePublications.
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