Goodbye World


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Nahrallah

-dono
Retired
drritchiestanding.jpg

Dennis Ritchie (standing) and Ken Thompson (seated) at Bell Labs.


QUOTE Dennis M Ritchie, who helped shape the modern digital era by creating software tools that power everything from search engines like Google to smartphones, was found dead Wednesday at his home in Berkeley Heights, N.J. He was 70.

Dr Dennis Ritchie's passing went unnoticed by many despite the significant contribution he made to our technological landscape. As Steve Lohr of the New York Times stated, Dr Ritchie "helped shape the digital era". Rob Pike, another programming legend, expressed how important Dr Ritchie's legacy is: “It’s really hard to overstate how much of the modern information economy is built on the work Dennis did.”


QUOTE If you’re a creator, an inventor, a scientist like Dennis Ritchie and you’ve worked to create two computer-based inventions like the C programming language and the Unix Operating System, and people use your creations every day of their lives without thinking twice about it, you’ve done your job.


CODE /* We have lost a quiet gentleman who gently shaped our world. */

#include<stdio.h>

int main()
{
printf(“Goodbye Dr Ritchie and thank you\n”);
return 0;
}
 
R.I.P. Dennis Ritchie, I didn't know much about him and his outstanding contribution to technology compared to the recently dead Steve Jobs this year... dunno why but that situation reminds me of two famous artists who passed away a couple of years ago but the same day, the actress Farrah Fawcett (most known by Charlie's Angels) and Michael Jackson (no need to explain who is him), the first wasn't as acknowledged and mourned unlike the second but both are important in their transcendence and legacy, one more than the other though.
 
On Dennis Ritchie's page at Bell Labs is a note from his siblings which describes what a down to earth and generous natured man he was. Such a man is generally self-effacing and it would seem that even his family had not realised just how significant his contribution was to so many people.

QUOTE In Memoriam

Dennis died in early October, 2011. This is a note from his sister and brothers:
As Dennis's siblings, Lynn, John, and Bill Ritchie--on behalf of the entire Ritchie family--we wanted to convey to all of you how deeply moved, astonished, and appreciative we are of the loving tributes to Dennis that we have been reading. We can confirm what we keep hearing again and again:

Dennis was an unfailingly kind, sweet, unassuming, and generous brother--and of course a complete geek. He had a hilariously dry sense of humor, and a keen appreciation for life's absurdities--though his world view was entirely devoid of cynicism or mean-spiritedness.

We are terribly sad to have lost him, but touched beyond words to realize what a mark he made on the world, and how well his gentle personality--beyond his accomplishments--seems to be understood.

Lynn, John, and Bill Ritchie
 
If his character really was as described by his siblings, it may well be that this is the reason why his demise didnt stir a great deal more of attention.

There is quite some commotion about the death of Jobs... who lets face it, wasnt promoting only the apple products, but himself as well. I dont understand why people think Apple will do badly after his death, it isnt like Jobs was designing the stuff himself. He might have supervised it, guided the R&D process, but he didnt do it himself...

But comming back to Ritchie, I would say that people who are unassuming, kind, introverted, etc. not only get overlooked but often taken advantage of in the sense that somebody else uses their ideas and the fruits of their work for promoting himself.

And its always sad when people go. But just like Khael, I dislike the idea that people get this upset about the death of celebrities. Even Micheal Jackson was just a normal person and whereas it is understandable that his death touched his fans, I dont understand the huge outcry his death created. Everybody has to die one day, thats the harsh reality. And the question I am asking myself is: why is the death of Micheal Jackson for example so much more tragical then the death of the people around us and why people feel the need to blow the death of famous people out of its proportions??? This is how I feel....
 
I think it was more the case that Jobs was better known to the general public than Ritchie.

Steve Jobs was certainly widely acknowledged as an entrepreneur and the marketing of products and oneself seems to be part of that role; however, he was also an inventor with "338 U.S. patents or patent applications for technology and electronic accessories" to his name (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/24/technology/steve-jobs-patents.html). Throughout his career, Jobs was a lot more than simply a front man for Apple. Perhaps Steve Jobs captured the imagination of so many people because he was a high profile self-made man. His beginning were certainly very humble. Even a number of his critics acknowledge his achievements. Lashinsky said of him: “He ticked so many boxes. He was an entrepreneur, an artist, creative, successful and original. And he was a self-made man – and Americans love nothing more than a self-made man”.

Financially, Apple appears to be succeeding without Jobs. He planned for Apple to survive him and recently, the highest ever September quarter revenue and earnings was reported. I too am surprised that people seemed to believe that the death of Steve Jobs heralded the end of Apple.

From what I've read, which includes what Ritchie's family wrote, no one appears to have taken advantage of him. He chose to quietly live his life doing what he loved. It seems that Dennis Ritchie simply wasn't particularly interested in constantly being under the spotlight. Andrew Binstock describes him as a very modest man:
"Ritchie's desire to avert attention despite his contributions to computing, are among the first things most people who knew him point out. Perhaps for that reason, he was often the first to poke fun at his creations even while recognizing their special place in computing: "C is quirky, flawed, and an enormous success." And, of UNIX, "It is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity.""

Dennis Ritchie's work didn't go unacknowledged. In 1983 he was awarded the Turing Award. 1990 saw the award of the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal. He received the National Medal of Technology in 1999. Finally, in 2011 he was awarded the Japan Prize for Information and Communications.

I agree that the death of a famous person is in no way comparable to the death of a family member or friend. I find it odd that people would react to the death of someone they don't personally know in that way. I think, however, that it is understandable that the death of people who have contributed to society in some significant way is acknowledged in the news and that discussions which reflect on their contributions are sparked. At issue is also the fact that their contributions are at an end. Perhaps Andrew Binstock expresses this best:
"Ritchie saw in language what others could not see, in operating system what others had not built, and in the world around him what others did not realize. His insight and the elegance of his work will be missed by all programmers, even in future generations who, as he would want it, might know nothing of him."
 
I read your last post with great pleasure. You are very articulate Nahrallah and I am impressed by your opinions. While reading your post, I found myself nodding in agreement.... and have nothing more to add. I was also impressed about the indepth knowledge you have about both Jobs and Ritchie.

PS: I find it hard to believe, that successsful people could be modest. Often I feel that is a contradiction in itself, but obviously it is possible. I reserve my highest regards for such people, because in my opinion it is a testimony of character strength.
 
Thank you for your kind words Warita.

It often is a contradiction in terms to describe a person as both successful and modest; however, there seem to be some exceptions to the rule and it would appear that Dr Ritchie was one of them. Such rare people are worthy of considerable respect.
 
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