Heinz Zemanek

Heinz Zemanek
Heinz Zemanek
Born	Heinrich Josef Zemanek; 1 January 1920 (age 106); Vienna, Austria
Died	16 July 2014 (aged 94)
Occupation(s)	Computer scientist, academic
Years active	1940–2014
Known for	Development of Mailüfterl, early transistor-based computer; contributions to PL/I programming language; IBM Laboratory Vienna

Heinz Zemanek (Heinrich Josef Zemanek) (1 January 1920 – 16 July 2014) was an Austrian trailblazer in computing who spearheaded the creation of one of Europe's earliest fully transistor-based computers between 1954 and 1958. This computer, colloquially called Mailüfterl ("May breeze"), was named as a nod to the Whirlwind developed at MIT.

Life

After finishing secondary education in Vienna in 1937, Zemanek enrolled at the University of Vienna. In 1940, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, where he worked in communications and instructed at an Intelligence Service School. He later resumed academic pursuits in radar technology, obtaining his Diplom in 1944 with mentorship from Richard Feldtkeller of the University of Stuttgart.

Following World War II, Zemanek served as a university assistant and earned his doctorate in 1951 with a dissertation on timesharing techniques in multiplex telegraphy. In 1952, he completed work on the URR1 (Universal Relais Rechner 1). He passed away at the age of 94 on 16 July 2014.

The Vienna Lab

Established in 1961, the IBM Laboratory Vienna, often referred to as the Vienna Lab, operated as a division of IBM's Böblingen facility in Germany and was initially headed by Professor Zemanek. He directed this laboratory until 1976 before being appointed an IBM Fellow. Zemanek significantly contributed to the formal definition of the programming language PL/I.

In addition to his IBM role, he lectured at the Vienna University of Technology, which commemorates him with a lecture hall bearing his name. Between 1971 and 1974, he held the presidency of the International Federation for Information Processing.

Scouting

Zemanek became involved with the Boy Scouts in 1932 and took on leadership positions such as Austria's International Secretary from 1946 to 1949 and International Commissioner for Pfadfinder Österreichs from 1949 until 1954.

Honours and awards

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class (2005)
Gold Decoration for Services to the City of Vienna
Joseph Johann Ritter von Prechtl Medal awarded by the Technical University of Vienna
Leonardo da Vinci Medal from the European Society for the Education of Engineers
Wilhelm Exner Medal received in 1972
Rudolf Kompfner Medal granted by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Technical University of Vienna (2010)
Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Recipient of Hero status in Uzbekistan
Awarded the Eduard Rhein Ring of Honor by the Eduard Rhein Foundation in 1998
The Heinz-Zemanek-Preis, recognizing exceptional contributions within computer science
Kardinal-Innitzer-Preis (2003), honoring lifetime accomplishments

Literature

Bekanntes & Unbekanntes aus der Kalenderwissenschaft. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1978
Kalender und Chronologie. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1990
Weltmacht Computer. Esslingen: Bechtle, 1991
Das geistige Umfeld der Informationstechnik. Berlin: Springer, 1992
Unser Kalender. Vienna: Wiener Kath. Akad., 1995
Vom Mailüfterl zum Internet. Vienna: Picus-Verlag, 2001
Anekdoten zur Informatik. Innsbruck: Studien-Verlag, 2001

References

External links

Official Heinz Zemanek website
University homepage of Heinz Zemanek
Oral history interview with Heinz Zemanek, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota – discusses his engineering background, radar projects during the Second World War, and significant milestones in Austrian computing such as the Mailüfterl computer and IBM Europe's involvement.
Photograph (.jpg)
Biography of Heinz Zemanek