pjh@mccc.uucp (Pete Holsberg) (09/22/90)
I am editing a book in which a couple of statements appear that are at odds with what I know about UNIX. Please feel free to comment. 1) Ken Thompson was writing a "computerized space-wars game as a part of a reseach project" when he wrote what was to become UNIX. 2) "Thompson designed the C programming language and he and Dennis Ritchie implemented the first compiler." Thanks, Pete -- Prof. Peter J. Holsberg Mercer County Community College Voice: 609-586-4800 Engineering Technology, Computers and Math UUCP:...!princeton!mccc!pjh 1200 Old Trenton Road, Trenton, NJ 08690 Internet: pjh@mccc.edu Trenton Computer Festival -- 4/20-21/91
dklann@heurikon.heurikon.com (David Klann) (09/26/90)
In article <1990Sep22.022723.3098@mccc.uucp>, pjh@mccc.uucp (Pete Holsberg) writes: |> I am editing a book in which a couple of statements appear that are at |> odds with what I know about UNIX. Please feel free to comment. |> |> 1) Ken Thompson was writing a "computerized space-wars game as a part |> of a reseach project" when he wrote what was to become UNIX. Thompson wrote a game, yes, but it was a space *travel* game, not a space wars game. Paraphrased from BLTJ, Vol 63 No. 8 Part 2 October 1984 - article by D. M. Ritchie - "The Evolution of the UNIX Time-sharing System" ``Space Travel'' was first written on Multics, then moved to GECOS under FORTRAN. It was nothing less than a simulation of the movements of the planets of the Solar System. The player guided a spaceship around, and attempted to land on various planets and moons. |> |> 2) "Thompson designed the C programming language and he and Dennis |> Ritchie implemented the first compiler." From the same article: Thompson set out to implement a FORTRAN compiler for the PDP-7, but ended up with a new language named ``B.'' Work began in 1971 on what was to become the ``C'' language. I would say that it is accurate that Thompson and Ritchie implemented the first (``C'') compiler. |> |> Thanks, |> Pete |> -- |> Prof. Peter J. Holsberg Mercer County Community College |> Voice: 609-586-4800 Engineering Technology, Computers and Math |> UUCP:...!princeton!mccc!pjh 1200 Old Trenton Road, Trenton, NJ 08690 |> Internet: pjh@mccc.edu Trenton Computer Festival -- 4/20-21/91 Hope this helps. -- David Klann dklann@heurikon.heurikon.com Heurikon Corporation