It's hard to believe that UNIX is a quarter century old this year, but it is. The anniversary is marked in a new book by Peter Salus, and has been celebrated at conferences from Boston to Melbourne. My association with all three events has been largely peripheral, at least from a UNIX perspective, but I've been happy to have even a marginal involvement.For one thing, I get to see Dennis Ritchie a bit more often. He is one of a handful of pioneers in UNIX and C that has chosen to stay on at Bell Laboratories over the years. I am one of the many who went on to other things. I've never had any regrets about my own departure, but I do occasionally miss chatting with the likes of Brian Kernighan, Ken Thompson, and Doug McIlroy — to name just a few of the stellar crew I first met in the early 1970s. They're always doing something interesting.
For another thing, UNIX is not much older than C. That can only mean that another 25th anniversary party should be in the works soon. Dennis will be asked to deliver a few more invited talks around the world, which is fine. He's a good speaker in a remarkably modest and low-key way. But some chroniclers will doubtless start asking questions about those early days. And that will force a few of us to remember how much time has passed.
As it nears the quarter-century mark, C is very much alive and well. I'm pleased to see that it is still a basis for experimentation. I'm not just talking about C++, major experiment though it is. (And I won't quibble about whether C++ marks the death of C, its rebirth, or is just an adolescent rebellion against more conservative principles.) Vendors, consortia, and various standards groups all seem to have something to add to this ageing language.
So, Happy Silver Anniversary UNIX. And a near silver congratulations to C as well. I'll save my party hat for the main event.
P. J. Plauger
pjp@plauger.com