DENNIS RITCHIE "UNIX" & "C"

DENNIS RITCHIE: "THE SHOULDERS STEVE JOBS STOOD ON".

"It's really hard to overstate how much of the modern information economy is built on the work Dennis did." Dennis M. Ritchie is a seminal figure of the information era, by creating software tools that power things as diverse as search engines like Google and smart phones, he stood astride the digital world like few others. "The tools that Dennis built — and their direct descendants — run pretty much everything today," said Brian Kernighan, a computer scientist at Princeton University who worked with Mr. Ritchie at Bell Labs. "When Steve Jobs died last week, there was a huge outcry, and that was very moving and justified. But Dennis had a bigger effect, and the public doesn't even know who he is," says Rob Pike. "There's that line from Newton about standing on the shoulders of giants," says Kernighan. "We're all standing on Dennis' shoulders."

Dennis Ritchie Home page|: http://cm.bell-labs.com/who/dmr/

"THE DREAM TEAM": Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• UNIX
• C Language
• programming
• software
• Dennis Ritchie
• Digital
• Sun
• Bell Labs
• C Programming Language
• Sun Microsystems
• Digital Equipment Corporation
• Windows
• Computer
• Tutorial

[ysgdhio]

Any idea why John Draper appears in this (0:06-0:11)? I hope you don't think that Dennis and John are the same person.

[TheAgnosticplanet]

@ysgdhio Yes I'm aware that's Captain Crunch. I put a picture of him in the video as a visual bon mot. John is iconic and to my mind representative of a certain attitude shall we say. Congratulations for being the first to recognize his picture!

"The Up-loader"

[TheAgnosticplanet]

As much as I enjoy future history I will not debate you're assertion concerning the arc of their respective importance. Programming languages as such first acquire relative importance with the advent of machines like the Jacquard looms. It is at the intersection of so called "machine" language and "natural" language and the decline of the importance of the former and latter distinction that I believe constitutes the Singularity... But I digress, may programmers own the future!

planetagnostic

[TheAgnosticplanet]

Yes it is unfortunate that Ritchie was not given more popular acclaim he is with out question a genius. I differ with you however on the importance of Gates and Jobs. Their importance in creating popular demand for the various implementations of C and UNIX has furthered Ritchie's intent of creating a community and fellowship of contributors. Ritchie in his modest and self effacing way attributed historical timing or random events for C and UNIX success.

planetagnostic

[yousify]

Different World, what is the different between these two men and two famous men (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) Do you know what ?!!! When Dennis Ritchie talked, he knew the Science which useful for people but most of people don't know but when you see the other like Steve Jobs, he talked, he studied what people needs before they asked, then when they the new thing, they said this is what I want !!!! Really Strange !!! This two men in video change many things in life by using Operating System ..

[Rapidparts]

i think when people share ideas and breakthroughs with each other They (WE) can do GREAT things by connecting each others visions together !!!!! there all equal to meeeee information that helps make things better faster simpler, we all think to ourselves how can i use this information to make something great they all worked hard and make it !!!!!!!!!! rip sad to see you both go will make sure to use these tools to do good things !!!!

[logamvsmetal]

dmr

[AlexGRFan97]

It's a shame how almost no-one knows of this guy due to poor media coverage, if he hadn't programmed C, Steve Jobs wouldn't be so famous.

[nawkwan]

@johnymetalman2002

That's why he wrote "thnx dad..." lol

[dondopa]

@randomname123ish they want to choose expensive pieces of I-crap marketed by Steve jobs over the Ubiquitous C programming language and Unix Operating System made by Dennis Ritchie

[johnymetalman2002]

dat is java ;) :(

[randomname123ish]

It sucks that the news does not cover this as much as Steve Jobs death. He did way more. RIP Dennis :(