Kenneth Thompson
In the world of IT technologies, where something new appears almost every day, there are people whose contribution will remain in the history of programming forever. These people not only created breakthrough products for their time, but also inspired generations of developers. In this article, we will meet one of the legendary programmers whose work has changed the world's perception of the possibilities of IT technologies.
So meet Kenneth Thompson!
Who is he?
Ken Thompson is a well-known programmer and one of the pioneers in the IT field. His amazing achievements had a huge impact on the development of modern software.
How it all started
Born on February 4, 1943 in New Orleans, the future programmer had an interest in technology from an early age.
Ken Thompson graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and joined Bell Labs in 1966, where he began his illustrious career.
UNIX development
One of Thompson's most significant contributions to the IT industry was the creation of the UNIX operating system. In the late 1960s, he and Dennis Ritchie started working on the Multics project, but they soon decided to create a simpler and more effective product. In 1969, the first version of UNIX was released, which quickly gained popularity due to its flexibility and powerful features. UNIX has become the basis for many modern operating systems, including Linux and MacOS.
Programming language B
Thompson also created the B programming language, which was the predecessor of C. This language was designed specifically to make UNIX programs easy to write. It had a significant impact on the subsequent development of programming languages.
What else did the legendary Ken create
In addition to UNIX and B, Thompson has participated in numerous other projects, such as the ed editor. Kenneth's product has become a standard tool for working with text on UNIX systems. The programmer also made a huge contribution to the creation of the Go language, which was released by Google in 2009.
Interesting facts about Kenneth Thompson
No.1. When your father is a sailor
Kenneth moved around a lot as a child because his father was a sailor. The boy has studied at various schools and... hated math. However, when he first heard about the binary system, Ken became interested and began to deepen his knowledge in this area.
#2. Through hardships to the stars...
The first version of UNIX was developed on an outdated PDP-7 computer that Thompson used at Bell Labs Research Center. Having successfully completed the project, Ken demonstrated the ability to work with limited resources while finding innovative solutions.
#3. UNIX was needed to play Space Travel
Ken's “Space Travel” was the catalyst for the development of UNIX. Yes, Thompson was looking for a better platform to launch the game!
#4. Chess and IT technologies
As an avid chess player, Thompson developed one of the first programs called Belle. This chess program won the World Computer Championship in 1980.
#5. The Greatest Reward
In 1983, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie won the Turing Award for their contribution to the development of operating system theory and the creation of UNIX.
Advice from Ken Thompson
The legendary programmer's philosophy of work can inspire young coders. Here are some important tips from Ken:
#1 Learn by doing
Learn programming through experimentation, trial and error!
#2 Don't be afraid to start from scratch
At first, UNIX was a frivolous project that grew into something more than that. Go for it and try new things, even if you don't think anything good will come of it.
#3 Be curious
Always strive for new knowledge! This helps to stay “on the wave”, actively develop and build a successful future.
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