Dennis Ritchie, Creator of C Programing Language, Dead at 70

Dennis Ritchie wasn't a household name. In fact, you may not have known anything about him until reading this post. Still, whatever you're using to read this was likely developed using some version of the programming language he created, C.

C was the foundation of two very popular programming languages, C++, and Objective-C. It's also the basis or inspiration for many modern programming languages. The creation of an easy to read and write programming language was essential to the programming of the wonderful computer applications we use today.

Dennis Ritchie also helped develop Unix. Mac OS X is based on a version of Unix, and Linux, despite standing for "Linux Is Not UniX", is very Unix-like.

Ritchie died at age 70 of an unspecified illness. Not only did he create a fantastic programming language, he also continued his work in the computer science field for many years afterwards. According to Rob Pike, a former colleague and friend of Dennis,  "He [Ritchie] was a quiet and mostly private man, but he was also my friend, colleague, and collaborator, and the world has lost a truly great mind.".
via Engadget