The Man Who Revolutionized Computer Science With Math

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  • Опубликовано: 11 май 2024
  • Leslie Lamport revolutionized how computers talk to each other. The Turing Award-winning computer scientist pioneered the field of distributed systems, where multiple components on different networks coordinate to achieve a common objective. (Internet searches, cloud computing and artificial intelligence all involve orchestrating legions of powerful computing machines to work together.) In the early 1980s, Lamport also created LaTeX, a document preparation system that provides sophisticated ways to typeset complex formulas and format scientific documents. In 1989, Lamport invented Paxos, a “consensus algorithm” that allows multiple computers to execute complex tasks; without it, modern computing could not exist. He’s also brought more attention to a handful of problems, giving them distinctive names like the bakery algorithm and the Byzantine Generals Problem. Lamport’s work since the 1990s has focused on “formal verification,” the use of mathematical proofs to verify the correctness of software and hardware systems. Notably, he created a “specification language” called TLA+ (for Temporal Logic of Actions), which employs the precise language of mathematics to prevent bugs and avoid design flaws.
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Комментарии • 1,9 тыс.

  • @QuantaScienceChannel
    @QuantaScienceChannel  2 года назад +449

    Read the written interview by Sheon Han in Quanta Magazine: www.quantamagazine.org/computing-expert-says-programmers-need-more-math-20220517

    • @masternobody1896
      @masternobody1896 2 года назад

      finally i can cure cancer using cs

    • @masternobody1896
      @masternobody1896 2 года назад +4

      what a legend cs dude

    • @farhanaf832
      @farhanaf832 2 года назад +5

      I love ❤️ Boinc distributed computing software
      We can help scientists by using it or we can process data

    • @Matlockization
      @Matlockization 2 года назад +7

      This guy will never go bald.

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +1

      @@masternobody1896 Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

  • @rypoelk997
    @rypoelk997 2 года назад +9946

    This dude also created LaTeX, a software that is commonly used to write mathematics. Impressive individual

    • @neotsz3286
      @neotsz3286 2 года назад +332

      He made it?! That's amazing!

    • @JeffPitman
      @JeffPitman 2 года назад +638

      Which are macros built on top of Donald Knuth's TeX.

    • @rypoelk997
      @rypoelk997 2 года назад +349

      @@JeffPitman yes. Certainly didn't mean to take credit away from Knuth's genius either

    • @VCT3333
      @VCT3333 2 года назад +165

      i wrote my thesis and papers in LaTeX. didn't know it was just a side gig. 😮

    • @srenkoch6127
      @srenkoch6127 2 года назад +170

      And even now 40 years later, there is still nothing better suited to write scientific papers, articles or books with.
      For those not knowing, it completely automatically handles cross references, citations (using bibtex), table of contents etc, letting you the author free to concentrate on the actual content and not on trivial things like if the figure caption ends on the same page as the figure itself of if you have to reference figure 4.3 or 4.4.....

  • @yashmakwana8019
    @yashmakwana8019 Год назад +815

    "Coding is to Programming, what typing is to writing". I am amazed at such a simple description by Leslie Lamport.

    • @user-yz7fr6kd7y
      @user-yz7fr6kd7y 9 месяцев назад +20

      I'd say coding is to programming what instrument playing is to musical composition.

    • @luxemier
      @luxemier 9 месяцев назад +1

      @@user-yz7fr6kd7y thats not closer

    • @webgpu
      @webgpu 8 месяцев назад +5

      coding also implies "typing and thinking" therefore his statement is partly false

    • @JuhvellZane
      @JuhvellZane 8 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@user-yz7fr6kd7ythere u Go!!!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 MUCH better Analogy 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

    • @michalsvihla1403
      @michalsvihla1403 6 месяцев назад

      What's the relationship between typing and pressing keys on a keyboard then?

  • @flavio4923
    @flavio4923 Год назад +583

    I grew up scared of math, always excelled in other subjects but failed math. Now as an adult, because started learning programming and ML on my own I'm also studying math and i'm fascinated . Math is beautiful and makes things simpler, it took programming to make me see that.

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 Год назад +29

      I agree, once you have a reason to learn it and see it’s real world applications it becomes much more approachable.
      (I’d also argue that it mate be better to learn in your own we’re there’s no 3rd party affecting your subjective experience with the material ie a shitty professor etc)
      As to simplifying things , I like this quote by Von Neumann:
      “If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is. “

    • @Yahweh5995
      @Yahweh5995 Год назад +9

      That's my experience too . I was terrible at mathematics but I found out about Steve Jobs who made me get into computer programming. After that I fell in love with mathematics and became an A student in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry . I'm currently doing a BSc Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at university . I'm in love with it.

    • @AbhikChakraborty1
      @AbhikChakraborty1 10 месяцев назад +7

      Lex Fridman once said that many of his friends didn't like maths, it took programming for them to get in to maths.

    • @WillyKillya
      @WillyKillya 10 месяцев назад +8

      I don't understand in school why they vomit equations onto you without any context of what they are for, where they came from or why they are interesting

    • @mkaberli
      @mkaberli 9 месяцев назад +2

      I think part of your problem with math as a child might be due to your teachers' inability to "teach" math effectively.

  • @dhwang101
    @dhwang101 2 года назад +87

    CS and computer are so young you can still talk to some of the founders of modern Computer Science. Also I got into computer science because doing arithmetic is hard for me.

  • @saurabhmishra4467
    @saurabhmishra4467 2 года назад +3263

    "I am proud that I "stumbled" on it" This statement itself says how humble he is.

    • @ModestJoke
      @ModestJoke 2 года назад +97

      I was really happy to hear him phrase it that way. No one invents math. It's all discovered.

    • @nonconsensualopinion
      @nonconsensualopinion 2 года назад +45

      @@ModestJoke Well, maybe. The philosophy of that statement is debated extensively.

    • @zackcarl7861
      @zackcarl7861 2 года назад +8

      @@ModestJoke that's true he is very simple and humb and that statement says it , maths is no invention it's a discovery

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +4

      Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +1

      @@ModestJoke Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

  • @importantname
    @importantname 2 года назад +3610

    im not clever enough to understand the problems this man solved, but am glad he did.

    • @v3le
      @v3le 2 года назад +60

      i am glad too

    • @theMuritz
      @theMuritz 2 года назад +518

      We are simple men, we see, we hear, we don’t understand, we like

    • @joshurlay
      @joshurlay 2 года назад +96

      @@theMuritz Here here! Here's a like

    • @dougaltolan3017
      @dougaltolan3017 2 года назад +185

      That's because this pop video dosent state any of how his ideas are actually applied to computing.
      It's almost an exact analogy to the analogy he used in the video, about typing and writing.

    • @eamonia
      @eamonia 2 года назад +7

      Ha! Right there with you, buddy.

  • @SSJ0016
    @SSJ0016 Год назад +375

    I have two bachelors degrees. I first graduated college with a B.A. as a math major. I took one programming class while in that program and I realized that it's really similar to math. Simpler than math, if you ask me. I saw the correlation immediately. However, I didn't feel I knew enough about the coding side of things. To use the analogy in this video, I knew the math but I didn't know how to type! I felt like it was all right there at my fingertips though, I just had to learn the technical details. For four years after I got that math degree, I tried teaching myself how to code on sites like Udacity and Coursera, but I realized I was spinning my wheels. Doing the same Hello World over and over again in different languages. I needed to go back to school and have a planned out curriculum with resources and professors to guide me. So, after those four years I went back to college for 2 more years and got a second degree! This time a B.S. in computer science.
    Well, wouldn't you know it. I breezed through it. Like, the math background absolutely set me up for success here. I was a consistent C level student my whole life, but this time I'm was making president's and dean's lists and getting scholarships. I had found my niche! And if it wasn't for math I don't know if I would have ever figured it out. Had I gone the other way and just started with computer science, I'm not sure I would have had as much success or knew why I was doing it. Math called to me in my younger years, and it was just so applicable to the theory of computer science that my intuition for it was already developed. I just needed just a little push that's all.
    Personally, I see writing a program as like writing a math proof. You need to figure out which concepts go together and parameterize your problem. For me, writing pseudocode is where I can really draw on my math background. Without having to worry about syntax and missed semi colons, I can focus solely on the problem and really figure out what really needs to happen to implement something. When your pseudocode is rock solid, you barely even have to think when you're coding something up. Just go through your pseudocode line by line and figure out the syntax on stack overflow. If I didn't have that pseudo, then swapping between SO and my IDE would exhaust me so quickly. But with that pseudo, all the hard thinking is done. It's just a matter of typing it up at that point!
    Thanks for this video. It resonated with me. My favorite part was this part toward the end: 6:22

    • @oyeyinkaojora
      @oyeyinkaojora Год назад +16

      Thanks for sharing this,I have a BS in Physics and looking forward to have a Masters in Computer Science and Cybersecurity

    • @calicoesblue4703
      @calicoesblue4703 Год назад

      Nice😎👍

    • @zgb3l
      @zgb3l Год назад +2

      I had the same discovery as you and now also studying CS

    • @djredrover
      @djredrover Год назад +4

      I actually read your whole reply and respect for putting in the work though! Without that, none of this would have even been possible. Respect to you mate.

    • @Luluskuy
      @Luluskuy Год назад +1

      Thx for sharing, your story resonates with me. Eventhough I am not in Math major, but Math Education major, your story still resonates with me.

  • @RealPi
    @RealPi Год назад +180

    First thing you learn when you start your Ph.D.... how to write LaTeX. That is when many a mathematician first hear of Leslie Lamport, myself included - and I was truly impressed by the versatility and depth, which made me look more into his work. A true legend.

    • @TheArtConnoisseur0007
      @TheArtConnoisseur0007 Год назад +2

      I got that during my Master's degree on Computer Science while writing my Thesis. His work is really really impressive.

    • @droneborg19
      @droneborg19 Год назад +1

      Is it difficult to learn LaTeX?

    • @abdullahtrees5204
      @abdullahtrees5204 Год назад +4

      @@droneborg19 kind of, it's not wysiwyg like Microsoft Word, but it's a lot more powerful and in theory you can do a lot more inside LaTeX
      After two years I was finally able to start writing assignments in LaTeX

    • @michaelaristidou2605
      @michaelaristidou2605 Год назад +1

      LateX sucks. MathType is better

    • @astanakazakhstan3220
      @astanakazakhstan3220 Год назад

      @@michaelaristidou2605 latex is super fast to type once you memorize the syntax. you can't type in mathtype that fast because you have to press all the buttons, but maybe if you memorize all the keyboard shortcuts it can get quicker

  • @SanjaySingh-oh7hv
    @SanjaySingh-oh7hv 2 года назад +3518

    No question about it, this guy is a genius. The idea of using a physics-based notion of time like that of relativity, and using that as a metaphor to guide his work in distributed systems and its notions of timing is a really powerful and original way of thinking.

    • @yugen3968
      @yugen3968 2 года назад +39

      I think it was an overkill of an inspiration, but yeah!

    • @dinospumoni5611
      @dinospumoni5611 2 года назад +107

      I don't even think it was a metaphor, he basically actually used the concepts of relativity.

    • @jameshunt1822
      @jameshunt1822 2 года назад

      @@dinospumoni5611 Indians love to throw in words just to make sure their prose is perceived as something very sophisticated 👍

    • @andreww.8262
      @andreww.8262 2 года назад +19

      I thought it was just the hair

    • @JorgetePanete
      @JorgetePanete 2 года назад +1

      its*

  • @JonathanAdami
    @JonathanAdami 2 года назад +2016

    I feel like the most important thing he's said there is "coding is to programming what typing is to writing, if you learn to program by learning to code, you essentially only know how to type" This! this is something I always try to convey but never found the right words for it, I'll be using that analogy for sure! :D

    • @nietzchan
      @nietzchan 2 года назад +47

      Stack overflow helped us code!

    • @absalomdraconis
      @absalomdraconis 2 года назад +54

      One of the old Unix or C books (though unfortunately I don't remember which) said something along the lines of "programming isn't a skill, but instead a way of thinking". Also said it takes around 5 years to pick up.

    • @veridianr2490
      @veridianr2490 2 года назад +6

      @@absalomdraconis 5 years lol, kids pick it up in weeks

    • @AJ213Probably
      @AJ213Probably 2 года назад +56

      @@veridianr2490 programming isn't coding. Do you even know how to program? I was one of those kids you mention and 8 years later I still wouldn't say I have the thought process for it. It's hard as hell and has infinite depth.

    • @shaunhall960
      @shaunhall960 2 года назад +1

      Cool!

  • @baganatube
    @baganatube Год назад +28

    I'm SOOOO glad you guys made this interview! I read a lot of his work and he's my favorite mathematician / computer scientist! I'm about to take the software architect role of a quite complex system, and I'm seriously thinking of applying his ideas and tools in analyzing, specifying, and verifying our distributed system designs.

  • @TheBrainn
    @TheBrainn Год назад +44

    It’s refreshing to see someone this intelligent proud and satisfied of his work. It’s not humbling, but more an inspiration.

  • @ElMahdiELMHAMDI
    @ElMahdiELMHAMDI 2 года назад +1070

    Lamport's Turing award in 2013 was probably one of the most overdue Turing awards, glad to see his foundational work and the whole field better recognised with such an interview.

    • @shaunhall960
      @shaunhall960 2 года назад +2

      Absolutely!

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +3

      Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

    • @MrKen-wy5dk
      @MrKen-wy5dk Год назад +1

      I bet that award, plus $10, will buy him a Starbuck's coffee.

    • @mntalateyya
      @mntalateyya Год назад +7

      @@MrKen-wy5dk The award had a $250,000 prize

    • @johnhamirkarim3696
      @johnhamirkarim3696 Год назад +1

      @@MrKen-wy5dk he probably makes your life easier too

  • @Djellowman
    @Djellowman 2 года назад +1913

    This man did more for mankind than thousands of others did, yet he is still humble, but also wholesome and full of soul. Love it!

    • @nathanoallen9235
      @nathanoallen9235 2 года назад +62

      This man did more than thousands of others did, *because* he is humble, wholesome, and full of soul.

    • @Djellowman
      @Djellowman 2 года назад +17

      @Bob Syerunkle i would say both statements are true

    • @nathanoallen9235
      @nathanoallen9235 2 года назад +7

      ​@Bob Syerunkle Think what you want. Go out and do great things for the world through... bitterness I guess.

    • @maxjeje8090
      @maxjeje8090 2 года назад +26

      @@nathanoallen9235 what he's saying is that humbleness, wholesomeness and being full of soul don't make you a genius, those are just good attributes

    • @shaunhall960
      @shaunhall960 2 года назад +4

      I've found that those who are gifted like this are humble as well. Kind too.

  • @jakechung9295
    @jakechung9295 Год назад +12

    Thank you, Sir!
    I had two options to make my dissertation; one was a wordprocessing program being really popular in my grad school back then, and the other was Tex which professor Knuth had "proved."
    Your brilliant works made Tex easy to use as well as popular during my grad years.
    Ultimately, I decided "to compose" my dissertation with your LaTex in order to include perfect beauty not only in quality but also in appearance. That was the best work in my life as "a composer" of my dissertation; almost thirty years ago!
    I have not expressed thanks to you directly or indirectly for such a long period.
    Now I am happy to express that I appreciate it.
    Thanks again, Sir!

  • @jlinkels
    @jlinkels Год назад +9

    When I saw the title I did not know it was about Leslie Lamport. I am surprised and happy to learn what he has achieved else than LaTeX, the greatest document processor I have worked with.

  • @wido461
    @wido461 2 года назад +752

    One of the markers of true genius is thinking in an interdisciplinary fashion, in my opinion. This man has demonstrated only in this short time that he has knowledge of art, mathematics, and physics. It's no surprise he contributed to our world in the way he has.

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +1

      Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

    • @mitojopepa
      @mitojopepa Год назад +1

      To see the whole in every detail..

    • @josephmundell1551
      @josephmundell1551 Год назад +20

      This is the point of education! We learn multiple disciplines and can relate them to each other. The world is more intertwined than we see on the surface.

  • @macicoinc9363
    @macicoinc9363 2 года назад +349

    That analogy he made with the painter painting outside and finding problems to solve is genius.

    • @lucid_
      @lucid_ 2 года назад +20

      The one that associates distributed systems and general relativity is also genius

    • @forthehomies7043
      @forthehomies7043 2 года назад +11

      also the analogy coding is to programming as typing is to writing. Ive been programming for years and never even thought about it like that. Always knew i was building projects with code but it just narrows the scope down even more. Leslie was, and is, definitely a genius

    • @shaunhall960
      @shaunhall960 2 года назад +7

      He is genius and there is no doubt.

    • @vivekkumarshresth4684
      @vivekkumarshresth4684 Год назад

      Maybe you guys are genius that you've understood what kind of problem he solved 😥i am the only one special with zero brain..
      Please make me understood what the old man did..☹️ i am curious too

  • @secullenable
    @secullenable 2 года назад +2

    Beautiful to see someone tat loves his work for the right reasons - the simple pleasure he gets from figuring things out.

  • @soilstorm
    @soilstorm 10 месяцев назад

    Sir, you stole my heart with the exitement and devotion with which you explained. Most teachers would say it in a harsh un- understandable way and ruthless. The world needs teachers like you.

  • @SAS_786
    @SAS_786 2 года назад +330

    It’s certainly a honour to hear about this amazing groundbreaking work, but I am even more astounded by his humbleness and honesty. Hats off to you Sir !

  • @5_inchc594
    @5_inchc594 2 года назад +69

    "I am really proud that I stumbled on it"
    The level of humbleness......

  • @cursedswordsman
    @cursedswordsman 2 года назад +6

    He explains multiple groundbreaking discoveries here so succinctly!

  • @fuzzydark1395
    @fuzzydark1395 2 года назад +189

    Best science summaries on the platform. Glad to have found this channel years ago

    • @sumitmishra-cy4uz
      @sumitmishra-cy4uz 2 года назад +3

      Talks about programming language and shows html

  • @micuhh
    @micuhh 2 года назад +445

    im genuinely so glad i found this channel. its got the best videos with comprehensive analyses of the topics they talk about which are completely factual and interesting to hear all the way through! even a 30 minute video feels like 5 minutes on this channel

    • @jaydipnaskar
      @jaydipnaskar 2 года назад

      You had not found, AI found perfect for you and also same thing for me....as far our interest. 😎

    • @hoola_amigos
      @hoola_amigos 2 года назад +4

      @@jaydipnaskar it goes both ways son.

    • @huskiehuskerson5300
      @huskiehuskerson5300 2 года назад +1

      In a world of stupid things like streamers, this is a blessing

    • @mattiasborg9829
      @mattiasborg9829 Год назад

      Or are you rather "proud that you stumbled upon it"?

  • @capri300
    @capri300 Год назад

    that emotional moment at the end shows the depth of his passion and dedication to his art. remarkable individual!

  • @pawanchopra6679
    @pawanchopra6679 Год назад +1

    I haven't found a better way to differentiate between programming and coding the way this computer scientist has told in such a simple way.truely genius he is and so humble too.

  • @izzzzz_5
    @izzzzz_5 2 года назад +59

    All this genuinely genius work and thinking to evolve how computers work, just so your social media can load faster.
    We need to make these achievements more appreciated by the public!

  • @carsont1635
    @carsont1635 2 года назад +66

    This last semester I took a distributed systems class and implemented Lamport and vector clocks. And designed systems using a particular consistency model using them. Really awesome to see the legend that described these first!

  • @MGJJ123
    @MGJJ123 2 года назад +1

    This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. This inspired me and pulled me out of the scholastic rut I’ve been in for the past 2 weeks.

  • @lapatria100
    @lapatria100 Год назад +5

    I thought it was neat how he uses metaphors to get his ideas and understandings across; shows he emphasizes them for learning in general

  • @tuams
    @tuams 2 года назад +4

    I found this channel with the year reviews but stayed for the well made content about topics I had no awareness of. Quality stuff!

  • @xvegitto
    @xvegitto 2 года назад +27

    You guys make the best science videos, please make some more. Thanks for the great channel team ❤️❤️

  • @lancerettberg2071
    @lancerettberg2071 Год назад +10

    Wow! Rare to see brilliance and humbleness in the same person. Can't think of a more practical, clear definition, via analogy, of coding vs. programming...and at about 5:20 his thoughts on working with industry to find and solve problems.

    • @ivankaramasov
      @ivankaramasov 5 месяцев назад +1

      Actually, most brilliant people are humble

  • @Joseph-co7uh
    @Joseph-co7uh 2 года назад +7

    Full respect to Leslie Lamport for giving birth to the field distributed systems. That Turing Award is well deserved.

  • @ramizr
    @ramizr 2 года назад +45

    You're an absolute legend Mr. Lamport ! After watching this I asked one of my friend about Bakery Algorithm and you and ended up knowing a lot about you that includes distributed logical clock algorithm and many more . I'm surprised how I didn't know about you.

    • @ABHAY-hu9kw
      @ABHAY-hu9kw Год назад +2

      Hey philonoist , i just watched ur channel and binged ur videos
      That was worth watching 🙂

    • @ramizr
      @ramizr Год назад +1

      @@ABHAY-hu9kw thankyou so much ! Those are very kind words tbh as I haven't really uploaded my latest works on RUclips but thankyou so much hehe

  • @TriAngles3D
    @TriAngles3D 2 года назад +278

    Love his down to earth, low tech, higher reasoning perspective.
    Executing your ideas, "working" knowledge. That's what coding is for me.
    Noticing more often that many new IT people have no interest in IT. They expect to get a job and that's about it.

    • @phatrickmoore
      @phatrickmoore 2 года назад +41

      I liked your comment from reading the first 2 lines, then expanded it open and 3rd line made me cringe a little. It's great that you are passionate about your field and celebrate its breadth, curious to learn about it, etc., but yeah, we shouldn't fault people for having jobs just for the sake of a job. People gotta eat and the industry pays.

    • @skivvytv6229
      @skivvytv6229 2 года назад +1

      Cuhringgeee

    • @wolfinthedepths
      @wolfinthedepths 2 года назад +15

      unfortunately not everyone can afford to only get jobs they have an interest in, not everyone is in a good financial position

    • @veridianr2490
      @veridianr2490 2 года назад +1

      IT is a scam

    • @TheTransitmtl
      @TheTransitmtl 2 года назад +8

      @@veridianr2490 you can't just say such a statement without giving an explanation or some arguments. What even do you consider IT. Is it the whole of information technology? Is it just the hardware, the networking people, is it software, OS, is it web development? You say IT is a scam but you are using a computer to type a comment on a website or app.

  • @hero9402
    @hero9402 Год назад +2

    Sauch is a humble guy, He says he "stumbled on it" that just shows how sweet of a person he is.

  • @khuranashyam
    @khuranashyam Год назад +4

    People who know their stuff are humble and thankful that they stumbled upon a problem they could solve.

  • @goldengilmaky6788
    @goldengilmaky6788 Год назад +3

    What a brilliant mind and yet so humble. The way math is taught at school is so flawed. Imagine having this guy as your teacher in early school.

  • @AbdulKadir-xd8fl
    @AbdulKadir-xd8fl Год назад +35

    Sir you are genuis,
    Today i got the chance to finally see you.
    I have studied Lamport’s Clock during my Phd course work now i am using LateX you have us to write papers.
    I have no words .. you have contributed so much to cs field.
    Very well said:
    Without being good at mathematics you can’t call yourself programmer.

  • @sumitjain3938
    @sumitjain3938 Год назад +1

    I have always seen great personalities like him are always very humble and keep gratitude throughout their life. We can only learn from them.

  • @shubhamchandra9258
    @shubhamchandra9258 Год назад +4

    This is definitely epic. Never knew Leslie Lamport is a mathematician. Amazing.

  • @ahmedbouali7000
    @ahmedbouali7000 2 года назад +94

    As a R&D Engineer in Distributed Systems, to give you a simple idea about how much this man contributed to this field : Without his Paxos algorithm to solve consensus, probably we would not have had blockchains.

    • @stevefriedl3983
      @stevefriedl3983 2 года назад +21

      Not 100% sure that would be a bad thing :-)

    • @Acid31337
      @Acid31337 2 года назад +4

      If you really want to create something that is theoretically possible, and other people would like to use it, absence of ready to use algorithm won't stop you.
      There was attempts before Satoshi to create distributed ledger.
      2008 crisis and ugly bailout sparkled this, and nothing really could stop it.

    • @larslover6559
      @larslover6559 2 года назад +9

      @@stevefriedl3983 Agree. Crypto is a freaking clownshow

    • @stevefriedl3983
      @stevefriedl3983 2 года назад +7

      @@larslover6559 The math is fascinating, but the currency stuff is really just a way to turn your hard-earned money into somebody else's money.

    • @cornoc
      @cornoc 2 года назад +3

      @@stevefriedl3983 You could say the same thing any time you use your money to buy anything. Even when you're not using it, it's probably sitting in a bank account where it technically isn't yours until you ask to withdraw it.

  • @JacintoVG
    @JacintoVG 2 года назад +11

    In my last year of university I did a research paper on the comparison between the work of dines bjørner and tla+ by Leslie lamport. The work of these two men in specification language is astounding and unfortunately the only conclusion I was able to reach is that one semester isn’t enough time to really get deep enough into it.

  • @lucasboullosa
    @lucasboullosa 2 года назад +61

    "Coding is to programming what typing is to writing" 👏

    • @lencumbow
      @lencumbow Год назад +6

      "If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking." -- Lamport
      "Writing is nature's way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is". -- Guindon
      "Mathematics is nature's way of letting you know how sloppy your writing is." -- Lamport
      “Formal mathematics is nature's way of letting you know how sloppy your mathematics is.” -- Lamport

    • @terrymiller111
      @terrymiller111 Год назад +1

      If you change "programming" to "software design", that is an integral part of my undergraduate thesis.

    • @Shivdhundhandamru
      @Shivdhundhandamru Год назад

      Yes

  • @vsaihruthikreddy7127
    @vsaihruthikreddy7127 Год назад +3

    Being a computer science student by background I cannot understand a few of the things he talks about I mean the amount of knowledge he has about computers is just awesome this gen needs to learn from an individual like him

  • @modallas8034
    @modallas8034 Год назад +2

    I'm glad we have a guy like him out there figuring these complex things out.

  • @danplt
    @danplt 2 года назад +9

    He is awesome. I once wrote an email to him asking what editor he uses for LaTex, he gently replied.

    • @aadithyaasridharbaskari8448
      @aadithyaasridharbaskari8448 2 года назад

      What editor does he use?

    • @adarshmohapatra5058
      @adarshmohapatra5058 2 года назад

      @@aadithyaasridharbaskari8448 He created LaTex

    • @oscarprieto9013
      @oscarprieto9013 2 года назад

      @@adarshmohapatra5058 That doesn't answer what LaTex editor does he use

    • @danplt
      @danplt 2 года назад +3

      @@aadithyaasridharbaskari8448 GNU Emacs with his custom macros

  • @kartikpodugu
    @kartikpodugu 8 месяцев назад +3

    Not many can understand his happiness about being an engineer and computer scientist.
    He is enjoying what he is doing.

  • @surgeonofdeath8199
    @surgeonofdeath8199 Год назад +1

    wow man, uncle's thoughts about computer science and maths are truly fascinating.❤ good work man i mean most of teenagers like me don't like to hear some old man's words but i personally like this video a lot.

  • @AlbrechtJ
    @AlbrechtJ Год назад

    This video is precious. Seven minutes to listen to this genius guy is priceless. Thanks for such good video.

  • @landspide
    @landspide Год назад +3

    That moment at 7:23 is with such depth for him, pivotal, and why he loves what he does.

  • @Xsiondu
    @Xsiondu Год назад +6

    The algorithm must be beautiful to those who understand it. He seemed to me nearly brought to tears by it's beauty when he described it.

  • @stt.9433
    @stt.9433 Месяц назад +1

    Surprisingly humble, usually a sign of real genius.

  • @abdelm4lek
    @abdelm4lek 2 года назад +211

    "If people are trying to learn programming by being taught how to code, well they're being taught writing by being taught how to type, which doesn't make much sense"
    But this makes much more sense !

    • @zackcarl7861
      @zackcarl7861 2 года назад +2

      Ohh ya you know all the things that make sence

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +1

      Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

    • @dlrowle
      @dlrowle 2 года назад +1

      @@zackcarl7861 Q: What do you call a negative one sitting all alone in an empty room? "overnumerousness"

    • @rrawat7952
      @rrawat7952 2 года назад

      What does this mean

    • @jeromearenas4857
      @jeromearenas4857 2 года назад +3

      As long as it pays, no problem.

  • @rabirajbanerjee3872
    @rabirajbanerjee3872 2 года назад +14

    The man behind Distributed Systems, our DS course professor used to worship him a lot

    • @Quantum_in_Java
      @Quantum_in_Java 2 года назад

      Indians and their over obsession with god and worshipping ☹️☹️

  • @samiurkhan
    @samiurkhan 2 года назад +132

    The title is a little strange (CS was born out of math from the getgo and the interview even mentions that Lamport was inspired by special relativity/physics) but great job bringing attention to a great researcher.

    • @maskettaman1488
      @maskettaman1488 2 года назад +34

      You're entirely correct. Title was written by someone who has no idea what CS is. "You studied CS.. can you fix my printer?"

    • @MichaelPohoreski
      @MichaelPohoreski 2 года назад +4

      Computer Science is a superset of Mathematics, Engineering, Philosophy, Linguistics, Psychology, Physics, and Art crossing both the physical and digital domain. It blends Art and Science together that few fields do.

    • @nishanth6403
      @nishanth6403 2 года назад +13

      @@MichaelPohoreski Cs is not anything close to a superset of Math or Philosophy or Art or any of those u mentioned.
      It is however an *intersection* of mathematics, the idea of engineering and other couple fields of interest.

    • @justinkennedy3004
      @justinkennedy3004 2 года назад +3

      @@nishanth6403 CS is a science, CS'ists are often artists.

    • @alvin3832
      @alvin3832 2 года назад +2

      ​@@MichaelPohoreski I would say the core of CS is a subset of pure mathematics. Though there are some subfields within CS that are more engineering based (e.g. networking, CPU architecture, OS, etc.)

  • @bradleystephen3378
    @bradleystephen3378 Год назад

    What a bright and passionate person. Honestly inspirational

  • @NearLWatson
    @NearLWatson Год назад

    Appreciate the humility.
    And as an aspiring data scientist, i hope and I am endeavouring to 'stumble on to something' myself. Still struggling to walk straight.
    This video has helped me to persevere.

  • @don_marcel
    @don_marcel Год назад +3

    This video should be treasured. Programming is starting to look different with the advent of no-code infrastructure. I went to school for CS later in life and was completely astonished that there were 2nd year CS students who didn't know what a command prompt was. 90% of my class relied on snippets from GeeksForGeeks and Stack.

  • @khalidh3091
    @khalidh3091 2 года назад +8

    This guy is stating something very insightful, while studying computer science at the University I have been introduced to the Curry-Howard correspondance (look for it in Wikipedia) which states that basically a computer program is a proof of a mathematical theorem it can be formulated like this :
    In programming language theory and proof theory, the Curry-Howard correspondence (also known as the Curry-Howard isomorphism or equivalence, or the proofs-as-programs and propositions- or formulae-as-types interpretation) is the direct relationship between computer programs and mathematical proofs.

  • @Meowww12760
    @Meowww12760 Год назад

    Respect for that person who's work helped humanity.. When Honesty , Talent and passion combines in your job...you can do wonders !

  • @jagatdave
    @jagatdave Год назад

    He being proud on his work..is the sweetest reward of his work...

  • @axrmtech
    @axrmtech 2 года назад +9

    1:17 "Coding is to programming is what Typing is to writing" - Leslie Lamport

    • @HannesFoulds
      @HannesFoulds 2 года назад +1

      Lamport has clearly accomplished what very few in the world can ever hope for, and he is a brilliant man. I have a challenge for you, though, think that analogy through a little and write a fictional job specification a company would post to hire such a person. Then go on LinkedIn or the like and find a job post looking to hire somebody like that, or even better, find somebody like that, and then tell me where they are in their career (assuming you find a person like that).

  • @Noname-jq8ec
    @Noname-jq8ec Год назад +12

    Math is the universal language, and it has always fascinated me how math works in a variety of ways. But as someone who struggles with math and has a very low level of understanding of mathematics it’s eaten me up. But I always enjoy these kinds of videos even though I don’t have any background in mathematics. :)

  • @KartikKumar-fz6jz
    @KartikKumar-fz6jz 8 месяцев назад

    so amazing journey. Thanks for sharing your experience sir. I being a computer science student really want to accomplish things that you have accomplished

  • @YouB3anz
    @YouB3anz Год назад +13

    I studied this guy's algorithms recently in graduate school. Nice to see that the man remains relevant.

    • @webgpu
      @webgpu 8 месяцев назад

      remains relevant ? what is his current work right now?

    • @tonyzhu1687
      @tonyzhu1687 5 месяцев назад

      @@webgpu To answer your question, his work on distributed systems and synchronization is the standard for a rigorous undergraduate/ graduate level. The engineering aspect of how to adapt his multi paxos algorithm is hard and is the source of many different implementations that remains being worked on to this day.

  • @shivayshakti6575
    @shivayshakti6575 2 года назад +8

    Coding is to programming what typing is to writing - Wonderful!

  • @batlin
    @batlin Год назад +5

    They really need to add Lamport's work to more undergrad compsci curricula. Such a clever person.

  • @ronaldronald8819
    @ronaldronald8819 Год назад +1

    This wonderful person uses his mind as a playground. A joy to listen to.

  • @TUMATATAN
    @TUMATATAN 9 месяцев назад +1

    "Coding is to programming what typing is to writing". The light bulb that just went on in my empty head woke up the entire neighborhood. Who is this man that taught me so much in so little time?

    • @metarus208
      @metarus208 5 месяцев назад

      Leslie Lamport, one of the greatest Computer Scientists of the 21st century.

  • @josesanchezpalacios8991
    @josesanchezpalacios8991 2 года назад +12

    I wish I had a teacher like him

  • @magikworx3748
    @magikworx3748 2 года назад +17

    Thank you, Mr Lamport. You're an absolute legend and I enjoy reading your papers.

    • @bevvy.bee9
      @bevvy.bee9 2 года назад +1

      When he kept talking about distributed systems, I couldn't help but think block chain. But to find out his last name is lamport now shows me how important this man is, the subunit of Sol, on the Solana block chain is a lamport. It's called a lamport to pay homage to this computer scientists.

    • @magikworx3748
      @magikworx3748 2 года назад +1

      @@bevvy.bee9 I remember Lamport first from the bakery algorithm and then his distributed logical clock algorithm. The man has found order in naturally chaotic systems and I can't help but admire it. It's great that they felt the same and could honor him in that way.

    • @bevvy.bee9
      @bevvy.bee9 2 года назад

      @@magikworx3748 order in natural chaotic systems??? That the hell, that sounds cool!!! I wanna check this out

    • @magikworx3748
      @magikworx3748 2 года назад +2

      @@bevvy.bee9 Distributed systems are chaos. Neither computer understands the other simply because a CPU core thread thinks it's the ruler of its domain and will always assume that and trash everyone else. There's always some agreed upon middle-ground that lets them sync and Lamport solved it for both internal to a single computer(Bakery), as well as huge thousand computer clusters(Paxos).

  • @djmips
    @djmips Год назад

    Boy, I really like the way this guy thinks. And the end where he says that he's proud he stumbled on it (the bakery algorithm). That's the perfect combination of pride and humility.

  • @sohelalamrana
    @sohelalamrana Год назад +1

    What a great and humble mind, after discovering a groundbreaking algorithm the person says, "..I stumbled on it", truly great.

  • @dylanparker130
    @dylanparker130 2 года назад +6

    Great video - genuinely fascinating.

  • @VedantFalcon
    @VedantFalcon 2 года назад +38

    I love using TLA+ and I'm astounded by this man's contributions to CS. Thanks Quanta, I really enjoyed this video. One question, is he doing alright healthwise? He seemed to be breathing heavily :(

    • @VideoTendency
      @VideoTendency 2 года назад +20

      Dude is 81, I'd expect a little wear and tear (and hope to be half that sharp) when I hit that age.
      I get you, though. Losing John Conway to COVID at about the same age was a bummer, he was also by all accounts both brilliant and a great guy.

  • @fernandoschuindt1665
    @fernandoschuindt1665 Год назад +1

    I know you! From "Who Builds a Skyscraper without Drawing Blueprints?" in 2014. I saved a quote you said, but now the paper is long gone. I knew you were going to be spotlighted some day. You rock.

  • @lodgechant
    @lodgechant Год назад

    What a FABULOUS, inspiring documentary. Thank you. With greetings from Cape Town.

  • @allangathecha.
    @allangathecha. Год назад +4

    I remember doing an end of semester Distributed Systems project for implementing Lamport Logical Clocks in C++ during my third year in University. We all copied the code from the smartest student in class and passed.

  • @FrancescoVarrato
    @FrancescoVarrato 2 года назад +3

    An amazing, passionate interview. Thank you

  • @sergiosaunier
    @sergiosaunier Год назад +1

    Fascinating man! Imagine having the opportunity to sit with him over drinks and discuss interesting subjects such as the ones depicted in this video.

  • @ass09tube
    @ass09tube Год назад

    The last sentence 'I stumbled on this..' says it all - humility, zero arrogance, sheer acknowledgement of how discoveries are out there - to meet them, stumble upon. Its not like 'I did this, I created this, it was Me who did this, blah-blah-blah...'. Good to go through his work. Sage like person.

  • @pradbourne2446
    @pradbourne2446 2 года назад +4

    years of working on a problem and he says he stumbled on it. so profound

  • @ihatethesensors
    @ihatethesensors 2 года назад +5

    I love this guy! We need more people like this in computer science these days,

    • @phatrickmoore
      @phatrickmoore 2 года назад

      There are tons of great people in CS. And sounds like you are one of them!

    • @maniax3064
      @maniax3064 2 года назад

      How is someone motivated to pursue this

  • @BrandonOsborn404
    @BrandonOsborn404 Год назад

    I did a lot of my math homework in LaTex. Thanks Dr. Lamport!

  • @ha2kiplt
    @ha2kiplt Год назад

    We are all grateful to you for your contribution

  • @bentationfunkiloglio
    @bentationfunkiloglio 2 года назад +27

    Haha. Had a friend in college back in late 1980s who was a comp sci major. I asked him once, what the hell he'd do with that major? Many years later, I ended up getting a Master's degree in comp sci.

  • @bestcreations4703
    @bestcreations4703 2 года назад +74

    As a STEM tutor who is primarily a programmer but also loves all stem fields, the comment he made about coding to programming is the same as types is to writing is such a sad truth. Too often I have encountered individuals who can code but cannot program at all. I have had to teach them how to think, since teaching them how to code is as simple as teaching them how to Google. Learning how to program means learning how to approach a problem and ask yourself the right questions to find the solution in your mind. The rest is trivial.

    • @afterthesmash
      @afterthesmash 4 месяца назад

      In sophisticated languages, you commonly find cases where seemingly equivalent modes of coding can differ by 10× in time or space. If you think that coding a complex backtracking regex is "trivial" please stay far away from contributing to any program I might someday wish to use. Well, you say, you shouldn't use regexes in the first place, because they are notorious for these kinds of problems. Ever used Wikipedia? The markup language is defined by a patchwork skein of almost 200 different regexes. Tens of millions of coded articles you couldn't replace for less than a billion dollars. You can't implement an equivalent syntax any other way. Another aspect of coding that comes up all the time is copy elision. There are often extremely complex rules about when your compiler or runtime can avoid or eliminate making extra copies. Coding at a high level is not trivial.

  • @harsh.chaudhari
    @harsh.chaudhari Год назад +2

    I love computers, because they are best application of Physics and Maths.
    Studying computer science also retains my interest in Physics, and also Maths.
    The way computer and this world works, the very logic of it is amazing to study.
    People like Leslie inspire me much

  • @celestialnubian
    @celestialnubian Месяц назад +2

    This guy seems like the best teacher ever.

  • @z.C.008
    @z.C.008 2 года назад +9

    His smile is so beautiful, in a way that, he looks at the truth and recognises it. That's the definition of ingenuity and thus genius.

  • @lopyus
    @lopyus 2 года назад +35

    Every other lecture in my distributed algorithms class has his name.
    Also, I didn't know causal ordering was inspired from special relativity

    • @robertbeisert3315
      @robertbeisert3315 Год назад

      I stumbled on it long after his paper was written, because I had a problem and that was the intuitive solution. However, if it weren't for his research I wouldn't have had that problem to begin with - the systems just wouldn't have been advanced enough to make the solution intuitive.

  • @SadmanAhmedShanto
    @SadmanAhmedShanto Год назад +2

    Thanks Quanta Magazine for bringing about these great stories from such great minds to the public

  • @kirandeepatwal6280
    @kirandeepatwal6280 Год назад

    One of the best computer scientist of modern time yet very humble.

  • @crimsoncanvas51
    @crimsoncanvas51 2 года назад +36

    Few things I learnt from this video:
    1)Algorithm without a proof, is a conjecture not a theorem.
    2) Programming:coding=
    Writing:Typing
    3) Distributed computing

  • @darkgaara112
    @darkgaara112 Год назад

    Amazing, Thank you Leslie Lamport truly smart use of dedication towards find fundamentals in computer learning, huge step in Math

  • @InsideInterpreting
    @InsideInterpreting Год назад +1

    The thought he puts into each word is incredible.