- Impact
- 13,258
Dennis Ritchie, creator of the C programming language and co-creator of the Unix operating system, passed away today at age 70. Not a household name these days, but truly a pioneer in the industry.
So many operating systems we use today trace their roots (pun intended) back to Unix (all varieties of Linux, Solaris, Mac OS/X and IOS) and most modern programming languages (including Python, PHP, Perl, Java, Javascript, C++, Objective C) were based upon elements of C. With these technologies, Ritchie also pioneered the concept of Open Source/Open Systems.
BTW, he did this just because it was an interest, using equipment he had borrowed for another project - he didn't "sell" C and never had any commercial intent! Dennis wasn't a rockstar, he was a quiet, unassuming genius.
A brief bio here: http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/13/father-of-c-and-unix-dennis-ritchie-passes-away-at-age-70/
So many operating systems we use today trace their roots (pun intended) back to Unix (all varieties of Linux, Solaris, Mac OS/X and IOS) and most modern programming languages (including Python, PHP, Perl, Java, Javascript, C++, Objective C) were based upon elements of C. With these technologies, Ritchie also pioneered the concept of Open Source/Open Systems.
BTW, he did this just because it was an interest, using equipment he had borrowed for another project - he didn't "sell" C and never had any commercial intent! Dennis wasn't a rockstar, he was a quiet, unassuming genius.
A brief bio here: http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/13/father-of-c-and-unix-dennis-ritchie-passes-away-at-age-70/
Last edited: