computer science

Martijn Koster

Martijn Koster is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Martijn Koster rather than just read about it. In short: Martijn Koster (born ca 1970) is a Dutch software engineer noted for his pioneering work on Internet searching. Koster created ALIWEB, the Internet's first search engine, which was announced in November 1993 while working at Nexor and presented in May 1994 at the First International Conference on the World Wide Web.

Key takeaways

Martijn Koster belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Martijn Koster to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Martijn Koster from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Martijn Koster (born ca 1970) is a Dutch software engineer noted for his pioneering work on Internet searching. Koster created ALIWEB, the Internet's first search engine, which was announced in November 1993 while working at Nexor and presented in May 1994 at the First International Conference on the World Wide Web. Unlike contemporary crawler-based tools, ALIWEB did not use a robot to index the web; instead, website owners had to register their sites manually. This approach avoided the bandwidth problems that automated crawlers caused, but it also limited the service's growth, as many webmasters did not know how to create the required files. Koster also developed ArchiePlex, a search engine for FTP sites that pre-dates the Web, and CUSI, a simple tool that allowed you to search different search engines in quick succession, useful in the early days of search when services provided varying results. Koster also created the Robots Exclusion Standard.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martijn Koster

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Martijn Koster claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Martijn Koster before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Martijn Koster ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Martijn Koster

In research: Martijn Koster appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Martijn Koster in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Martijn Koster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970 births, Computer scientist stubs, Dutch computer scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martijn Koster outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Martijn Koster in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Martijn Koster means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Martijn Koster out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Martijn Koster in simple terms?

Why does Martijn Koster matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Martijn Koster?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Martijn Koster.