Brian Kernighan, a renowned professor at Princeton and co-author of 'The C Programming Language,' dives into the fascinating history of Unix and its evolution from proprietary to open-source. He discusses the artistry versus science debate in programming and highlights innovative languages like AWK, AMPL, and Go. Kernighan shares insights on learning new languages, the impact of programming on communication, and reflections on the early days of AI, merging nostalgia with a vision for the future of technology.
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Unix Creation
Unix was created at Bell Labs in 1969 after the Multics project ended.
Ken Thompson wrote the first version in three weeks while his wife and son were away.
insights INSIGHT
Early Time-Sharing
Time-sharing systems give each user a slice of computer time, creating the illusion of having the whole machine.
CTSS, developed at MIT, was a pioneering time-sharing system in the 1960s.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Bell Labs Environment
Bell Labs was a special place with many PhDs, focused on improving phone service.
This led to research in various fields, including a growing interest in computing.
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This book provides a detailed introduction to C++, covering its core language features, standard library components, and advanced programming techniques. It is designed for both beginners and experienced programmers looking to deepen their understanding of C++.
The C++ programming language
Bjarne Stroustrup
This book provides a detailed introduction to C++, covering its core language features, standard library components, and advanced programming techniques. It is designed for both beginners and experienced programmers looking to deepen their understanding of C++.
UNIX
A History and a Memoir
Brian Kernighan
Brian Kernighan's "Unix: A History and a Memoir" offers a personal and insightful account of the development of the Unix operating system. The book details the unique environment at Bell Labs that fostered innovation and collaboration, highlighting the contributions of key figures like Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. Kernighan shares anecdotes and reflections on the design principles and cultural factors that shaped Unix's success. The book explores the evolution of Unix, its impact on the computing world, and its enduring legacy. It provides a valuable historical perspective on a pivotal technology and its lasting influence.
The Practice of Programming
Brian Kernighan
Rob Pike
In 'The Practice of Programming,' Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike provide practical advice on programming, covering topics such as coding style, debugging, testing, and performance optimization. The book emphasizes the importance of good programming practices and offers insights based on the authors' extensive experience in software development.
Brian Kernighan is a professor of computer science at Princeton University. He co-authored the C Programming Language with Dennis Ritchie (creator of C) and has written a lot of books on programming, computers, and life including the Practice of Programming, the Go Programming Language, his latest UNIX: A History and a Memoir. He co-created AWK, the text processing language used by Linux folks like myself. He co-designed AMPL, an algebraic modeling language for large-scale optimization.
Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
04:24 – UNIX early days
22:09 – Unix philosophy
31:54 – Is programming art or science?
35:18 – AWK
42:03 – Programming setup
46:39 – History of programming languages
52:48 – C programming language
58:44 – Go language
1:01:57 – Learning new programming languages
1:04:57 – Javascript
1:08:16 – Variety of programming languages
1:10:30 – AMPL
1:18:01 – Graph theory
1:22:20 – AI in 1964
1:27:50 – Future of AI
1:29:47 – Moore’s law
1:32:54 – Computers in our world
1:40:37 – Life
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