Paul DiLascia

Q: When did Paul DiLascia die?

Paul DiLascia died on September 3, 2008.

Q: How old was Paul DiLascia when they died?

Paul DiLascia was 49 years old at the time of death.

Born: October 9, 1959
Died: September 3, 2008
Age: 49 years

Deaths in 2008 September 2008 Died on September 3 Who Died Today Verified Sep 28, 2026

About Paul DiLascia

Paul DiLascia, 49, American software developer.

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Full Biography

Paul DiLascia (October 9, 1959 – September 3, 2008) was an American software developer, author, web developer and programming journalist and one of the most celebrated columnists for MSDN.

He grew up in Manhattan, where he went to a special high school for smart children. After that he went to Columbia University and MIT, where he got a bachelor's degree in mathematics. After that he studied at Harvard for a year working on a PhD, also in mathematics. There he realised that where in mathematics it was quite hard to contribute something useful, this was not the case in software. At that time it was possible to contribute right away.

In the 1980s he worked for Infocom as a programmer, first on a Zork interpreter for the Commodore 64, and later on the ill-fated Cornerstone database product.

In 1992 he published his influential book, Windows++, one of the first serious attempts at encapsulating the complexity of Windows 3.X programming with C++ classes.

For 13 years he wrote the C++ Q&A column, aka "C++ At Work" for MSDN Magazine.

According to Matt Pietrek (MSDN magazine columnist): "Paul was an amazing technical writer, and one with the gift of adding humor to what could be an otherwise dry topic. Eric Maffei once told me that without humor, MSJ would read like "Microsoft Pravda". Paul's contributions were a big part of why it wasn't."

Paul DiLascia died suddenly on the evening of September 3, 2008. He was only 49 years old at the time. Many present day C++ and MFC programmers still use his reusable modules and pieces of code containing his famous article/code comment: "If this code works, it was written by Paul DiLascia. If not, I don't know who wrote it".

Selected works

Windows++: Writing Reusable Windows Code in C++ (Addison-Wesley, 1992)

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

16 Verified Trivia Questions About Paul DiLascia

Every question below is stored in the archive and checked against Paul DiLascia's record and biography. The correct answer and the reasoning behind it are given with each question.

1.On what date was Paul DiLascia born?
- A.October 9, 1959Correct
- B.September 3, 2008
- C.September 3, 1959
- D.October 9, 1960
Paul DiLascia was born on October 9, 1959.
Source: introduction
2.In which city did Paul DiLascia spend his childhood?
- A.ManhattanCorrect
- B.Chicago
- C.Boston
- D.Cambridge
Paul DiLascia grew up in Manhattan.
Source: childhood and education
3.At which institution did Paul DiLascia earn his bachelor's degree in mathematics?
- A.Harvard University
- B.New York University
- C.Stanford University
- D.Columbia University and MITCorrect
Paul DiLascia attended Columbia University and MIT to earn his bachelor's degree in mathematics.
Source: childhood and education
4.For how long did Paul DiLascia study at Harvard while working on his PhD?
- A.Six months
- B.Four years
- C.One yearCorrect
- D.Two years
Paul DiLascia studied at Harvard for a year while working on his PhD in mathematics.
Source: childhood and education
5.What company employed Paul DiLascia as a programmer during the 1980s?
- A.Commodore
- B.Oracle
- C.Microsoft
- D.InfocomCorrect
In the 1980s, Paul DiLascia worked as a programmer for Infocom.
Source: early career
6.What was the specific task Paul DiLascia performed for the Commodore 64 while working at Infocom?
- A.Creating a graphic engine
- B.Developing a Zork interpreterCorrect
- C.Building a hardware driver
- D.Designing a spreadsheet
Paul DiLascia worked on a Zork interpreter for the Commodore 64 at Infocom.
Source: early career
7.What was the title of the book Paul DiLascia published in 1992?
- A.Microsoft Pravda
- B.Windows++Correct
- C.The Zork Interpreter
- D.C++ At Work
In 1992, Paul DiLascia published the influential book Windows++.
Source: career steps
8.What was the primary goal of the book Windows++ written by Paul DiLascia?
- A.To document the history of Infocom
- B.To encapsulate Windows 3.X complexity with C++ classesCorrect
- C.To teach basic C syntax
- D.To explain hardware architecture
Windows++ was one of the first serious attempts at encapsulating the complexity of Windows 3.X programming with C++ classes.
Source: career steps
9.For how many years did Paul DiLascia write the C++ Q&A column for MSDN Magazine?
- A.20 years
- B.5 years
- C.13 yearsCorrect
- D.10 years
Paul DiLascia wrote the C++ Q&A column for MSDN Magazine for 13 years.
Source: career steps
10.What was the alternative name for the C++ Q&A column written by Paul DiLascia?
- A.Code Corner
- B.Windows Programming Today
- C.C++ At WorkCorrect
- D.The Programming Journalist
Paul DiLascia wrote the C++ Q&A column, which was also known as C++ At Work.
Source: career steps
11.According to Matt Pietrek, what quality did Paul DiLascia add to his technical writing?
- A.Solemnity
- B.HumorCorrect
- C.Political commentary
- D.Academic rigor
Matt Pietrek noted that Paul DiLascia had the gift of adding humor to technical topics.
Source: legacy and contributions
12.What comparison did Eric Maffei make regarding magazines that lacked humor?
- A.They would become too technical
- B.They would read like Microsoft PravdaCorrect
- C.They would be as boring as math textbooks
- D.They would lose all their readers
Eric Maffei told Matt Pietrek that without humor, MSJ would read like Microsoft Pravda.
Source: legacy and contributions
13.On what date did Paul DiLascia pass away?
- A.October 9, 1959
- B.September 3, 1959
- C.October 9, 2008
- D.September 3, 2008Correct
Paul DiLascia died suddenly on September 3, 2008.
Source: death
14.How old was Paul DiLascia at the time of his death?
- A.59 years old
- B.45 years old
- C.52 years old
- D.49 years oldCorrect
Paul DiLascia was 49 years old when he passed away.
Source: death
15.What disclaimer did Paul DiLascia famously include in his code comments?
- A.Written by Paul DiLascia, please attribute accordingly.
- B.If this code fails, contact the author.
- C.If this code works, it was written by Paul DiLascia. If not, I don't know who wrote it.Correct
- D.This code is free to use but carries no warranty.
Paul DiLascia included a famous disclaimer about the authorship of his code based on whether it worked.
Source: legacy
16.Which types of programmers still use the reusable modules created by Paul DiLascia?
- A.Web and UI designers
- B.C++ and MFC programmersCorrect
- C.Java and Python programmers
- D.Database and SQL architects
Many current C++ and MFC programmers continue to use the code and modules written by Paul DiLascia.
Source: legacy