Here’s a pointer to another interesting talk by Brian Kernighan. This time, it’s a podcast on Unix and C history. The podcast is with CppCast a series specializing on Cpp matters (of course) but that isn’t afraid to venture into other topics. Kernighan is not a Cpp user although he considers Bjarne Stroustrup a close friend of many years
The podcast mainly deals with the early days of Unix and the C language. Many people assume—probably because of K&R—that Kernighan was a co-developer of C but he explained, as he always does, that C was Ritchie’s work and that his involvement in C itself was almost entirely K&R and the C tutorial that preceded it. He was, really, more of a C evangelist than a designer or implementer.
I know I write a lot about Kernighan’s talks but he’s such an interesting and engaging speaker that I always want to share. Even when he’s covering topics that I know well, he always provides context and a personal view that adds to my understanding of the subject. It’s that “personal view” that, in part, makes him so interesting. He was, after all, there for the making of the history he talks about. That and his obvious love for the subject matter makes him always worth listening to.
The podcast is 53 minutes long so plan accordingly.