CoRecursive: Coding Stories

Story: The Birth of Unix with Brian Kernighan

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Nov 1, 2020
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ANECDOTE

Ken Thompson's Quick Work

  • Ken Thompson wrote a disassembler and a B language interpreter in a short time.
  • This allowed them to control a typesetter with buggy software.
ANECDOTE

Nature vs. Nurture for Programmers

  • Adam Gordon asks if great programmers are "grown, or whether they're just born that way."
  • Kernighan suspects they are born, finding outlets for their talent.
ANECDOTE

Securing the PDP-11

  • The Unix team secured a PDP-11 by promising a patent application system.
  • Development occurred at night to avoid disrupting patent typists.
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