[FullRangeMan]

At 70 years old, 1941-2011, his influence has been much bigger than Steve Jobs', the big media will run a story this time?.
Dennis created the C language and co-developed Unix.
His ideas are running on every computer or cellphone on this planet.
RIP

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/technology/dennis-ritchie-programming-trailblazer-dies-at-70.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=dennis%20ritchie&st=cse

[TomS]

I still have the thin little K&R C book on my shelf. It has survived numerous job changes and "dump everything" work space clean ups.

[BobRex]

I met Dennis back in the early 80's.  I worked out of the Allentown Bell Labs, but visited Murray Hill often.  His office was just down the hall from my department.  He'll be missed.

[cody69]

Sad week indeed for technology visionaries. I remember the first time I met him... was fresh out of school in early '80s... joined BL and worked in a lab porting Unix to new h/w platforms. Was so impressed... a huge visionary "thinker".

[jrebman]

Man, sad news indeed.  Yup, still have my little white book somewhere, and I also remember meeting him and Arnie Aho and BK at a talk, or conference at Princceton in the early 80s (and I now believe both AA and BK are now teaching at Princeton too).  Fascinating group of guys who collectively changed the face of computingas we know it.  Or more correctly, defined computing as we know it. (Ok, with some elp from another Princeton guy by the name of Von Numann ).

It was good to be a computer geek in Princeton and in NJ in the 70s and 80s .

-- Jim