RIP Dennis Ritchie

**drone** · 10-13-2011, 16:48

The creator of the C programming language, and co-creator of UNIX, died Saturday at the age of 70. His death was completely overshadowed by that of some fruit-hyping hipster, but dmr was one of the giants whose shoulders the current generation of computer geeks stand on. The glory days of Bell Labs...

**LeftEyeNine** · 10-13-2011, 18:05

Seen it on 9gag.com. Yeah, it's bitter but it's all about popularity.

RIP

**Lemur** · 10-14-2011, 18:53

Here's a very apt meditation on the Jobs vs. Ritchie dichotomy.

After witnessing the media fervor and outpouring of praise on social networks by tens of millions for Jobs, and nothing close to that for Ritchie, one name came to my mind: Nikola Tesla.

In case you didn't know, Tesla perfected the alternating current system (AC) that allows you to flip a switch and get light in your house. He also created a motor that could be run on AC, and that became the basis for all the other motors that are in the appliances in your house. Oh yeah, he also filed the first radio patent, not Marconi.

Tesla's inventions have been kind of a big deal for the past century or so, but they're things you just don't think about. It's kind of like a programming language on which most computers were built and an operating system that is used on servers and workstations to power worldwide commerce and the Internet. They're things we just take for granted, but we shouldn't.

Tesla worked as an assistant to Thomas Edison. Edison died rich and famous. Tesla died poor and mostly unknown. Jobs died a famous multi-billionaire. I can't say for sure how wealthy Ritchie was, but it's an easy assumption that he wasn't as wealthy as Jobs and he didn't garner a smidgen of the notoriety.

**edyzmedieval** · 10-15-2011, 10:49

The guy basically created the basis for modern software and technology. R.I.P. Mr. Ritchie, your contributions are valued by many of us.

**LeftEyeNine** · 10-15-2011, 16:50

Originally Posted by Lemur

Here's a very apt meditation on the Jobs vs. Ritchie dichotomy.

After witnessing the media fervor and outpouring of praise on social networks by tens of millions for Jobs, and nothing close to that for Ritchie, one name came to my mind: Nikola Tesla.

In case you didn't know, Tesla perfected the alternating current system (AC) that allows you to flip a switch and get light in your house. He also created a motor that could be run on AC, and that became the basis for all the other motors that are in the appliances in your house. Oh yeah, he also filed the first radio patent, not Marconi.

Tesla's inventions have been kind of a big deal for the past century or so, but they're things you just don't think about. It's kind of like a programming language on which most computers were built and an operating system that is used on servers and workstations to power worldwide commerce and the Internet. They're things we just take for granted, but we shouldn't.

Tesla worked as an assistant to Thomas Edison. Edison died rich and famous. Tesla died poor and mostly unknown. Jobs died a famous multi-billionaire. I can't say for sure how wealthy Ritchie was, but it's an easy assumption that he wasn't as wealthy as Jobs and he didn't garner a smidgen of the notoriety.

Tesla would be regarded as some kind of deity had he lived not longer than 100 years earlier.

**lars573** · 10-19-2011, 22:22

Originally Posted by Lemur

Here's a very apt meditation on the Jobs vs. Ritchie dichotomy.

After witnessing the media fervor and outpouring of praise on social networks by tens of millions for Jobs, and nothing close to that for Ritchie, one name came to my mind: Nikola Tesla.

In case you didn't know, Tesla perfected the alternating current system (AC) that allows you to flip a switch and get light in your house. He also created a motor that could be run on AC, and that became the basis for all the other motors that are in the appliances in your house. Oh yeah, he also filed the first radio patent, not Marconi.

Tesla's inventions have been kind of a big deal for the past century or so, but they're things you just don't think about. It's kind of like a programming language on which most computers were built and an operating system that is used on servers and workstations to power worldwide commerce and the Internet. They're things we just take for granted, but we shouldn't.

Tesla worked as an assistant to Thomas Edison. Edison died rich and famous. Tesla died poor and mostly unknown. Jobs died a famous multi-billionaire. I can't say for sure how wealthy Ritchie was, but it's an easy assumption that he wasn't as wealthy as Jobs and he didn't garner a smidgen of the notoriety.

That guy obviously doesn't watch TV. Where there is a show where Nikola Tesla is a recurring character. As a vampire super genius with magnetic powers to boot.