Biography:Christophe de Dinechin
Christophe de Dinechin | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Computer scientist |
| Known for | XL programming language Alpha Waves HP Integrity Virtual Machines |
Christophe de Dinechin is a French computer scientist, with contributions in video games, programming languages and operating systems.
Programming languages
Dinechin contributed to C++, notably a high-performance exception handling implementation[1] that became a de-facto standard in the industry.[2] de Dinechin was one of the proponents of a portable C++ ABI, initially developed for Itanium, but now widely used across platforms.[3]
XL programming language
Dinechin is the designer of the XL programming language and associated concept programming methodology.[4] "XL" is named for "eXtensible Language".
XL features programmer-reconfigurable syntax and semantics. Compiler plug-ins can be used to add new features to the language. A base set of plug-ins implements a relatively standard imperative language. Programmers can write their own plug-ins to implement application-specific notations, such as symbolic differentiation, which can then be used as readily as built-in language features.
Similar works
There are projects that exploit similar ideas to create code with higher level of abstraction. Among them are:
- Intentional programming
- Language-oriented programming
- Literate programming
- Model-driven architecture
Video games
As initial developer of Alpha Waves, a "groundbreaking" Atari ST game (listed in the Guinness World Records as the first 3D platform game[5]), de Dinechin heavily influenced Frederick Raynal, the main developer of Alone in the Dark.[6] de Dinechin also wrote a few viral games for HP-48 calculators,[7][8] and was the first person to take advantage of hardware-scrolling on these machines.[9]
Operating systems design
In the early 2000s, he worked as a software architect for HP-UX,[10] and was the initial designer of HP's virtualisation platform for Itanium servers, HP Integrity Virtual Machines. He was awarded 10 US patents for this work.[11]
Since 2022, he also is the initiator and maintainer of DB48X, a new implementation of RPL.[12][13]
Other work
Christophe de Dinechin did the initial port of Emacs to the Aqua user interface.[14] He wrote a variety of open-source drivers for the HP DE200C Digital Entertainment Center,[15] turning it from a web-connected CD Player into a true digital video recorder.
Between 2010 and 2017, Christophe de Dinechin was the CEO of Taodyne, a company developing a 3D animation tool, using a derivative of his XL programming language called Tao3D to describe dynamic documents.[16]
Bibliography
Dinechin has published three books:
- A French science-fiction novel called Informagie[17]
- A French book about physics called Réunifions la physique[18]
- A physics book called A theory of incomplete measurements[19]
References
- ↑ "C++ exception handling for IA-64". IEEE Concurrency 8 (4): 72–79. https://archive.fosdem.org/2023/schedule/event/reversepolishlisp/. Retrieved 2023-10-03. (NB. An improved derivative of RPL called DB48X for the SwissMicros DM42 and DM32.)
- ↑ "Emacs on Aqua". SourceForge. http://emacs-on-aqua.sourceforge.net.
- ↑ "Drivers for the HP DE200C". Grenouille Bouillie. http://grenouille-bouillie.blogspot.fr/2008/12/hp-de200c-digital-entertainment-center.html.
- ↑ "Tao3D". Sourceforge. https://tao3d.sourceforge.net.
- ↑ {{cite book |title=Informagie. Roman d'anticipation - Ou pas |language=fr |trans-title= |edition=1 |date=2019-10-15 |author-first1=Antoine |author-last1=Ravelin |author-last2=de Dinechin |author-first2=Christophe
 |  |
