New Delhi, Nov. 24 -- Thomas Eugene Kurtz, a pioneer in computer science whose vision of accessible computing transformed education and technology, passed away on 12 November at the age of 96. Kurtz's enduring contributions reshaped how the world interacts with computers, empowering generations of programmers and hobbyists (shorturl.at/2tnHc).

As a co-creator of the Basic programming language and a driving force behind the Dartmouth Time Sharing System (DTSS), Kurtz believed that computing should be a tool for everyone, not just a specialized elite. This ethos underpinned his work at Dartmouth College, where he dedicated his career to democratizing computer access.

I was a beneficiary. While my contemporaries who attended an IIT for a C...