Today is Dennis Ritchie’s birthday. Take a moment to remember the man who, along with Ken Thompson, invented Unix and changed our world. Those of us in computer related fields would be working in a completely different environment were it not for him and Ken.
Sadly, Ritchie died in 2011. When he was still alive, I used to check in with his home page everyday to see what new splendor he had revealed. Most of the public have no idea who he was or what he did but his work touches their life everyday in a multitude of ways. If you’re doing anything with a computer—using a cell phone, browsing the Web, using a word processor, or whatever—the chances are you are using some of Ritchie’s work.
Geeks everywhere miss him and are grateful for his contributions. This is a good day to remember him and those contributions.