[LINK] dmr() { exit(0); }

[Kim Holburn]

On 2011/Oct/14, at 8:33 AM, Pilcher, Fred wrote:

> Alan wrote:
>> Computer scientist Dennis Ritchie is reported to have died at his home
>> this past weekend, after a long battle against an unspecified illness.
>> No further details are available at the time of this blog post.
> 
> If you want to talk about someone who really *was* an innovator, look no further.

In the current link style of disparaging obituaries I'll comment curmudgeonly.  If only to point out to disparagers what a bad look it is.

Ritchie was an innovator and I always have K&R on hand, but what exactly has he done since C and Unix?

Knuth, still writing.  Thompson, Kernighan they've kept innovating.  Rob Pike who was part of that Bell Labs team, has continued innovating and is still going: Plan 9 etc. etc.  

Jobs: still participating in the design of devices that have made major changes in people's lives, right up to the year he died.  The impacts of his devices seem to have got greater as he went on.   

Now I don't see the point of comparing lives but frankly "if you want to talk about someone who really *was* an innovator, (and kept innovating and having a huge effect his whole life) look no further."

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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