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Hey everyone, I wrote this blog-post. I kinda wanna share another story about Dijkstra that I've always found interesting: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/

Hey everyone, I wrote this blog-post. I kinda wanna share another story about Dijkstra that I've always found interesting: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/memorial/newsletterarticle.pdf https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/memorial/newsletterartic... > The courses that Edsger taught regularly all had the title Capita Selecta (selected topics). Prior to his retirement in 1999, the offering alternated each semester between the graduate and undergraduate level. Taking Edsger’s course was an intimate experience and a unique learning opportunity. The class enrollment was limited to 20 or so students, which allowed a rewarding level of interaction between instructor and students. The main form of assessment in his course (in addition to the informal impressions he formed throughout the semester) was a two-hour oral examination, held either in his office or at his home. During this individual session, Professor Dijkstra would present the (usually nervous) student with a problem or two. The student’s task was to develop a satisfactory argument during the allotted time, writing the solution on the blackboard. Afterward, the student would generally leave the room with a warm glow of accomplishment thanks to Edsger’s gentle prodding and questioning during the session. I was wondering if anyone on HN took his course and could share their experience?

oluckyman 3y ago
I was a visiting professor there in 1989, and sat in on the course, which was on math proofs. We had weekly homework, which I did. In one class, I told Dijkstra that his proof was wrong. He couldn’t see my point, and we argued briefly and agreed to disagree. It was the only time anyone spoke up in class without being asked to by Dijkstra. At the start of the next class, Dijkstra announced that his attempted proof was indeed wrong, and proceeded to give a revised proof. Everyone was impressed by his intellectual honesty. He wrote up the episode as EWD 1044 https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/EWD1044.html https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/E... Dijkstra asked me to sit in on one final oral exam which he was expecting to be tricky. It was a very intimidating atmosphere for the student.

oluckyman 3y ago

I was a visiting professor there in 1989, and sat in on the course, which was on math proofs. We had weekly homework, which I did. In one class, I told Dijkstra that his proof was wrong. He couldn’t see my point, and we argued briefly and agreed to disagree. It was the only time anyone spoke up in class without being asked to by Dijkstra. At the start of the next class, Dijkstra announced that his attempted proof was indeed wrong, and proceeded to give a revised proof. Everyone was impressed by his intellectual honesty. He wrote up the episode as EWD 1044 https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/EWD1044.html https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/E... Dijkstra asked me to sit in on one final oral exam which he was expecting to be tricky. It was a very intimidating atmosphere for the student.