Without qualification, Dijkstra was one of the greatest computer scientists in our field's short history. While I don't agree with every single one of his ideas, I would encourage budding computer scientists and professional programmers to look over what he accomplished. He most certainly was not unproductive.
Wikipedia says that Dijkstra is known for:
- Dijkstra's algorithm (single-source shortest path problem)
- DJP algorithm (minimum spanning tree problem)
- First implementation of ALGOL 60 compiler
- Structured analysis
- Structured programming - Semaphore
- Layered approach to operating system design
- T.H.E. multiprogramming system (one of the first operating systems)
- Concept of levels of abstraction
- Concept of layered structure in software architecture (layered architecture)
- Concept of cooperating sequential processes
- Concept of program families
- Multithreaded programming
- Concurrent programming
- Concurrent algorithms
- Principles of distributed computing
- Distributed algorithms
- Synchronization primitive
- Mutual exclusion
- Critical section
- Generalization of Dekker's algorithm
- Tri-color marking algorithm
- Call stack
- Fault-tolerant systems
- Self-stabilizing distributed systems
- Resource starvation
- Deadly embrace
- Deadlock prevention algorithms
- Shunting-yard algorithm
- Banker's algorithm
- Dining philosophers problem
- Sleeping barber problem
- Producer–consumer problem (bounded buffer problem)
- Dutch national flag problem
- Predicate transformer semantics
- Guarded Command Language
- Weakest precondition calculus
- Unbounded nondeterminism
- Dijkstra-Scholten algorithm
- Smoothsort
- Separation of concerns
- Program verification
- Program derivation
- Software crisis
- Software architecture
This quote by galactipony is really offensive to me:
> Such people, while very smart, make for very unproductive software engineers. They also have a way of sounding deceptively smart and thoughtful, when really they're just talking out of their ass. Beware.
It is quite clear to me that Dijkstra wasn't "just talking out of [his] ass."
Learn more about Dijkstra at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsger_W._Dijkstra or in any resource on the history of Computer Science.