Walter Bright
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Walter G. Bright (born March 10, 1959) is an American computer programmer who created the D programming language,<ref name="wired"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Zortech C++ compiler, and the Empire computer game.
Early life and educationEdit
Bright is the son of the United States Air Force pilot Charles D. Bright.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He taught himself computer programming from the type-in programs in BASIC Computer Games.<ref name="hn28572761">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bright graduated from Caltech in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aeronautical Engineering.<ref>Template:Cite journal </ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While at university he wrote the Empire wargame for the PDP-10 mainframe.<ref name=bright2000>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
Bright wrote Mattel Intellivision games while at Caltech, then worked as a mechanical engineer after graduation. After learning C in the early 1980s he ported Empire to the IBM PC, stating that C "might as well have been called EIL, for 'Empire Implementation Language.'"Template:R Bright developed the Datalight C compiler, also sold as Zorland C and later Zortech C.<ref name ="Zortech C++ 1991">Template:Cite magazine "said Walter Bright, Zortech's directory of technology</ref>
Bright was the main developer of the Zortech C++ compiler (later Symantec C++, now Digital Mars C++), which was the first C++ compiler to translate source code directly to object code without using C as an intermediate.<ref name="Loder2016">Template:Cite book</ref>
D programming languageEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Bright is the creator of the D programming language. He has implemented compilers for several other languages, and is considered an expert in many areas related to compiler technology.<ref>"Lang.NEXT 2012 Expert Panel: Native Languages" Lang.Next</ref> Walter regularly writes scientific and magazine articles about compilers and programming<ref name="DConf2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was a blogger for Dr. Dobb's Journal.<ref name="Binstock2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Around 2014, Bright wrote Warp, a fast C/C++ preprocessor written in D, for Facebook.<ref name="Larabel2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Alexandrescu2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="wired">Template:Cite magazine</ref>