http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/10/dennis-ritchie/
C, The gift that keeps on giving, thanks Dennis ...
Goodbye, Ritchie.
Forever we shall remember you through the use of the open systems you helped bring about.
The Internet Storm Center (http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=11806) had a nice post dedicated to him, with this:
#include <stdio.h>
int main () {
printf("goodbye, dmr. RIP.\n");
}
I have to say I didn't know anything about him, but I still found it touching when I read it.
I'm not much of a poet but here is my version of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkwJ-g0iJ6w&feature=related)
For Dennis ...
I Can C Clearly Now
I can C clearly now, Fortran is gone,
I can C all procedures in my way
Gone are the gotos and spaghetti code
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can code it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the function I've been prayin?for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there's nothin?but easy codes
Look straight ahead, nothin?but easy codes
I can C clearly now, Fortran is gone,
I can C all procedures in my way
Gone are the gotos and spaghetti code
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
We'll miss him.
I still have a copy of the old "The C Programming Language" by Kerninghan & Ritchie sitting right here on my desk amongst all my other coding reference material. Many years old, but a classic.
-Bill
We owe so much to this guy. By developing C he revolutionized the way we code. Modern programming languages may have diluted the brilliance of C a bit, but still use a lot of principles it sprung life to. Also he had a great deal to do with Unix, and invented a lot of mechanism that are happily used today by a great number of operating systems. Yes, he will be missed!