Cunningham, Howard (Ward)
(1949– ) American
Software Developer
Today the first place many Web users look for informa-tion about a topic is Wikipedia, the vast and ever growing online collaborative encyclopedia. The type of software that makes Wikipedia (and thousands of other wikis) possible was invented by Howard G. Cunningham, better known as Ward Cunningham.
Born on May 26, 1949, Cunningham learned to program in high school. He then attended Purdue University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science and then a master’s in computer science. After graduation Cunningham worked as a researcher in microcomputer systems for Tektronix, where he encoun-tered an intriguing style of programming (see Smalltalk). In a later position at Wyatt Software, Cunningham became involved with larger-scale software projects and began to think about better ways to manage them.
In the early 1980s Cunningham encountered a book that looked at architecture in terms of the combining of intuitive patterns. Cunningham began to apply similar principles to the design of software (see also design patterns). One result was the holding of the first conference on pattern languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994.
Around that time, Cunningham was seeking a way for programmers to collaborate in working with design pat-terns. He had already encountered the power of linking (see hypertext) in HyperCard, developed by Apple for the Macintosh in the late 1980s. Because it was so easy to use, HyperCard encouraged many nonprofessional programmers (including teachers) to develop and share applications.
Developing the Wiki
Using HyperCard, Cunningham built an application that allowed users to add free-form data to a database and link it to other entries by clicking a button. Users who tried it were fascinated by its potential. Cunningham then wanted to expand it so users could access it over networks. How-ever, he was unable to develop a networked version of his HyperCard application.
One colleague suggested using the World Wide Web (see Berners-Lee, Tim and World Wide Web). Cunningham implemented his free-form linking system as Web pages, and the result was something he at first thought of calling QuickWeb. He then remembered hearing the phrase wiki wiki or “quickly, quickly”) in Hawaii, and he decided to call his system wikiwikiWeb. Today, it is just known as a wiki (see wikis and Wikipedia). This first wiki, called the Port-land Pattern Repository, came online in 1995 and continues to operate today
Collaborative Software Development
Cunningham worked for a few years on open-source proj-ects at Microsoft. The giant software maker is not generally well regarded among open-source developers, though Cun-ningham has acknowledged its technical prowess. At any rate, Cunningham decided to move on. He served as direc-tor for community development at the Eclipse Foundation, which oversees development of Eclipse, a versatile and very popular open-source programming environment. In 2007 Cunningham left Eclipse to become chief technology officer (CTO) of AboutUs, a company founded to further develop wikis and collaborative communities.
Cunningham continues to be an enthusiastic proponent of open source. He argues that the most important advan-tage of open source is not lower cost, but the way it puts access to powerful tools into the hands of thousands of users and encourages them to develop new features and capabilities. Cunningham’s contributions to programming methods are also extensive, including the use of design patterns for “quick and agile” development and what became known as “extreme programming.”
(1949– ) American
Software Developer
Today the first place many Web users look for informa-tion about a topic is Wikipedia, the vast and ever growing online collaborative encyclopedia. The type of software that makes Wikipedia (and thousands of other wikis) possible was invented by Howard G. Cunningham, better known as Ward Cunningham.
Born on May 26, 1949, Cunningham learned to program in high school. He then attended Purdue University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science and then a master’s in computer science. After graduation Cunningham worked as a researcher in microcomputer systems for Tektronix, where he encoun-tered an intriguing style of programming (see Smalltalk). In a later position at Wyatt Software, Cunningham became involved with larger-scale software projects and began to think about better ways to manage them.
In the early 1980s Cunningham encountered a book that looked at architecture in terms of the combining of intuitive patterns. Cunningham began to apply similar principles to the design of software (see also design patterns). One result was the holding of the first conference on pattern languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994.
Around that time, Cunningham was seeking a way for programmers to collaborate in working with design pat-terns. He had already encountered the power of linking (see hypertext) in HyperCard, developed by Apple for the Macintosh in the late 1980s. Because it was so easy to use, HyperCard encouraged many nonprofessional programmers (including teachers) to develop and share applications.
Developing the Wiki
Using HyperCard, Cunningham built an application that allowed users to add free-form data to a database and link it to other entries by clicking a button. Users who tried it were fascinated by its potential. Cunningham then wanted to expand it so users could access it over networks. How-ever, he was unable to develop a networked version of his HyperCard application.
One colleague suggested using the World Wide Web (see Berners-Lee, Tim and World Wide Web). Cunningham implemented his free-form linking system as Web pages, and the result was something he at first thought of calling QuickWeb. He then remembered hearing the phrase wiki wiki or “quickly, quickly”) in Hawaii, and he decided to call his system wikiwikiWeb. Today, it is just known as a wiki (see wikis and Wikipedia). This first wiki, called the Port-land Pattern Repository, came online in 1995 and continues to operate today
Collaborative Software Development
Cunningham worked for a few years on open-source proj-ects at Microsoft. The giant software maker is not generally well regarded among open-source developers, though Cun-ningham has acknowledged its technical prowess. At any rate, Cunningham decided to move on. He served as direc-tor for community development at the Eclipse Foundation, which oversees development of Eclipse, a versatile and very popular open-source programming environment. In 2007 Cunningham left Eclipse to become chief technology officer (CTO) of AboutUs, a company founded to further develop wikis and collaborative communities.
Cunningham continues to be an enthusiastic proponent of open source. He argues that the most important advan-tage of open source is not lower cost, but the way it puts access to powerful tools into the hands of thousands of users and encourages them to develop new features and capabilities. Cunningham’s contributions to programming methods are also extensive, including the use of design patterns for “quick and agile” development and what became known as “extreme programming.”
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