Dennis Ritchie: Biography of a Pioneer Programmer Who Shaped the Computing History

Walking Through the Journey of the Tech Genius Dennis Ritchie

Ritchie was born on September 9, 1941, in Bronx-ville, New York. He was born to Alistair Ritchie, a switching systems engineer for Bell Laboratories, and Jean McGee Ritchie, a homemaker. Ritchie grew up in New Jersey, and after a childhood in which he did very well academically, he went on to attend Harvard University. There he studied science and graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics. While he was still going to school, Ritchie happened to go to a lecture about how Harvard's computer system, a Univac I, worked. He was fascinated by what he heard and wanted to find out more. Outside of his Harvard studies, Ritchie began to explore computers more thoroughly and was especially interested in how they were programmed.

While still at Harvard, Ritchie got a job working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At that time computer programming was not a degree, and computer labs were looking for anyone with the potential to help on their computers. Ritchie, with his unflagging curiosity, seemed perfect for the job. Ritchie worked at MIT for many years helping develop, alongside other scientists, more advanced computer systems and software.

Dennis's Key Contributions

Dennis's contributions to computing span four decades and have had a global impact. While at Bell Labs' Computing Sciences Research Center in the early 1970s, he created the C programming language and co-developed (with Ken Thompson) the UNIX operating system-both which are foundations of our modern digital world. The C programming language and its descendants continue to be used to write the software that makes digital devices and networks work, while UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems run on a vast range of computing systems.

Dennis's early work laid the foundations for much of the technical infrastructure of our modern digital world. He enjoyed traveling and reading, but his main passion was his work, and he stayed with Bell Labs until his retirement in 2007. With Ken Thompson, he was awarded the ACM Turing Award (1983), the U.S. National Medal of Technology (1999), and the Japan Prize (2011). He passed away in 2011.

Dennis began working on a computer program that could be used in small computers. He wished to shrink the size of a computer without affecting its workability. He found many supporters for his project, such as 'MIT,' 'Honeywell,' and 'General Electrics.' Many scientists and computer scholars also helped Dennis in his endeavors. His project ended as soon as he completed his graduation at 'Harvard.' Following his graduation, he was sure he wanted to work in the field of computers and not physics. By then, he had built a strong portfolio, which enabled him to easily secure a job at 'Bell Labs.' Back then (in 1967), 'Bell Labs' was one of the most advanced laboratories in the world. His father had worked there for many years. Named after Graham Bell, it was the only telephone service provider in the U.S. at that time.

The lab was also responsible for pioneering many advanced research studies on computers. However, at that time, there was no professional degree in computers. Hence, Dennis began working with more experienced computer scientists and learned on the job. Ken Thompson was yet another young computer scientist who had joined 'Bell Labs' around the same time as Dennis. Dennis and Ken collaborated to work and also became friends.

Minicomputers were becoming more popular in the early 1970s, but there was an absence of a simple and feasible system that would create a way for interaction between different computers. They researched for months and eventually came up with the 'Unix' operating system. 'Unix' made computers user-friendly and accessible. Earlier, computers could only be used by experts. 'Unix' was also cheap, which meant computers could become a household commodity. Dennis led the team that came up with 'Unix,' and when it was released to be consumed by the general public, it became an immediate success.

Lifetime Achievements and Awards

In 1983, Ritchie and Thompson received the Turing Award "for their development of generic operating systems theory and specifically for the implementation of the UNIX operating system". Ritchie's Turing Award lecture was titled "Reflections on Software Research". In 1990, both Ritchie and Thompson received the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), "for the origination of the UNIX operating system and the C programming language".

In 1997, both Ritchie and Thompson were made Fellows of the Computer History Museum, "for co-creation of the UNIX operating system, and development of the C programming language."

On April 21, 1999, Thompson and Ritchie jointly received the National Medal of Technology of 1998 from President Bill Clinton for co-inventing the UNIX operating system and the C programming language which, according to the citation for the medal, "led to enormous advances in computer hardware, software, and networking systems and stimulated the growth of an entire industry, thereby enhancing American leadership in the Information Age".

In 2005, the Industrial Research Institute awarded Ritchie its Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to science and technology, and to society generally, with his development of the Unix operating system.

When AT&T was restructured, Ritchie was transferred to a newly created division called Lucent Technologies, where he worked until his retirement in 2007 as Head of System Software Research Department. Ritchie's list of awards and accolades is extensive.

In 2011, Ritchie, along with Thompson, was awarded the Japan Prize for Information and Communications for his work in the development of the UNIX operating system.

Legend of the Computing World

By nature, Dennis Ritchie was a humble, polite, and well-liked person. He looked like a typical IT guru with long hair and a beard. He preferred to start working around noon and went home and worked into the late hours of the night. Ritchie suffered from poor health for the last few years of his life and died in October 2011 at the age of 70. His legacy lives on in the form of the prevalent application of his contributions to modern computing.