Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Pioneer

Guido van Rossum

Dutch: [ˈxidoː vɑn ˈrɔsʏm]
Also Known As BDFL (Benevolent Dictator for Life), Python's founding leadership title, held until 12 July 2018
Software And Its Engineering

Guido van Rossum is a Dutch programmer who created the Python programming language, first released in 1991 while he was working at Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica in the Netherlands, designing it to favor readable, clearly laid out code. He led Python's development for nearly three decades, holding the informal title Benevolent Dictator For Life until he stepped back from that role in 2018, and the language has since become one of the most widely used in the world, especially in data science and machine learning.

Facts
Birth Year
1956 1
Birth Date
1956-01-31 2
Nationality
Dutch 1
Award
FSF Award for the Advancement of Free Software 3
Award
ACM Distinguished Member 3
Guido van Rossum
Filter Results1 entry

Python

Guido van Rossum
FAQs

Why is the Python language called Python?

The name comes from the BBC comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus that van Rossum was reading while he began implementing the language.

The official Python FAQ says that when Guido van Rossum began implementing the language, he was also reading the published scripts from Monty Python's Flying Circus, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. He thought he needed a name that was short, unique and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python.
Connections

In Field

Software Engineering, Fields
Source Encyclopedia Britannica: Computer ScienceEncyclopedia Britannica Editors

Invented

Python, Programming Languages
Source Encyclopedia Britannica: Computer ScienceEncyclopedia Britannica Editors
In the Other Atlases

Same As

Guido van Rossum

Also in Technology and Engineering Atlas: the same subject.

Invented By

Python (Programming Language)

Also in Technology and Engineering Atlas: the inventor of this subject.

Nationality

Netherlands

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Computer Science
Encyclopedia Britannica Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc, 2024View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Guido van Rossum
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    He is the creator of the Python programming language, for which he was the "benevolent dictator for life" (BDFL) until he stepped down from the position on 12 July 2018.
  • Infobox: birth_date
    January 31, 1956
  • Infobox pronunciation guide
    [ˈxidoː vɑn ˈrɔsʏm]
View the Source
3. Wikidata: Guido van Rossum
Wikidata Q30942, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.