A Computing Legend Speaks, a New Oral History with Ken Thompson

6 months ago

Ken Thompson, a renowned programmer and computer scientist, gave a new oral history interview released by the Computer History Museum (CHM) in partnership with ACM.
Thompson co-created the Unix operating system and the C programming language with Dennis Ritchie, innovations that remain foundational in computing today.
Unix-like operating systems power smartphones, servers, and supercomputers globally, while C remains one of the most widely used programming languages.
Thompson's career highlights include work at Bell Labs, contributions to Plan 9, and co-creating the Go programming language at Google.
Colleagues, like Doug McIlroy, praised Thompson's programming skills, describing his code as clear and beautifully designed.
Thompson is a private individual with a lifelong passion for chess and a playful side, including raising a baby alligator in his office at Bell Labs.
His early exposure to programming at Berkeley became an 'addiction,' leading to significant contributions in computing.
The oral history spans over four and a half hours, covering topics like computer chess, digital audio, and his work at Google.

Hasty Briefsbeta