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Fortran pioneer dies

John W. Backus, who led the development of the first widespread computer language for making software, dies at 82, according to a report.

March 20 2007: 5:50 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The former IBM employee who led the development of the first widely used programming language, which paved the way for modern software, died Saturday, according to a report Tuesday.

John W. Backus died at age 82 at his home in Ashland, Oregon, according to the New York Times.

The Fortran programming language, which was a huge leap forward in easing the creation of computer software, was released in 1957, said the report.

Backus launched his research project at IBM (Charts) four years earlier, assembling a diverse team of 10, including a chess wizard, a crystallographer and a cryptographer, said the Times.

Fortran came to dominate scientific and mathematical computing.

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