Computer scientist Brian Kernighan joins us to talk about Dennis Ritchie, creator of the C programming language and co-developer of the Unix operating system along with Ken Thompson. Ritchie never sought the limelight, but his impact on the computer world is still visible everywhere from a multitude of operating systems to programming languages, search engines, car engines, and websites. Brian takes us through what made Ritchie's work novel, profound, inspiring, and long lasting. In a wide-ranging conversation, we talk about writing, Bell Labs, office configurations, motivation, and legacy. Brian even quotes a bit of Latin and offers some great takeaways about finding success and happiness at work. A historical and timely episode.

Brian's book "Unix: A History and a Memoir" that we discuss:
https://bookshop.org/books/unix-a-history-and-a-memoir/9781695978553

The Penn & Teller prank we discuss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxMKuv0A6z4

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