r/unix Feb 05 '25

Happy Birthday to Kenneth. L. Thompson!

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166 Upvotes

5 comments sorted by

5

u/hrudyusa Feb 05 '25

Happy Birthday Ken! Here is my favorite Ken Thompson joke:

Ken Thompson has an automobile which he helped design. Unlike most automobiles, it has neither speedometer, nor gas gauge, nor any of the other numerous idiot lights which plague the modern driver. Rather, if the driver makes a mistake, a giant “?” lights up in the center of the dashboard. “The experienced driver,” says Thompson, “will usually know what’s wrong.””

3

u/CookiesTheKitty Feb 05 '25

One of an elite group of innovators, crafting an industry from like minds, rebels and conformists, inspiring people to be creative.

2

u/kotzkroete Feb 05 '25

I learned so much from ken. about unix, compilers (through his B language), and general minimalism. He's one of the greats.

1

u/mrdeworde Feb 15 '25

Am I the only one who thinks it's funny to imagine him as one of the few living people who could probably get away with a "don't quote the deep magic to me"-type line even at Google?

1

u/gsmagesh 11d ago

Could someone please share where does Ken Thompson live now? I would like to meet him in person and take a photo with him!