From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.1 (2015-04-28) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.1 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id 3cff6f95 for ; Sat, 30 Jun 2018 22:16:34 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 78B249E5C7; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 08:16:33 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B4E949E5C5; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 08:16:12 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 55ACE9E5C6; Sat, 30 Jun 2018 21:48:33 +1000 (AEST) Received: from bagheera.alchemistowl.org (bagheera.alchemistowl.org [185.15.93.23]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id B05769E5C5 for ; Sat, 30 Jun 2018 21:48:32 +1000 (AEST) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at bagheera.alchemistowl.org Received: from [10.90.46.154] (120.232.197.178.dynamic.wless.lssmb00p-cgnat.res.cust.swisscom.ch [178.197.232.120]) (authenticated bits=0) by bagheera.alchemistowl.org (8.16.0.21/8.15.2) with ESMTPSA id w5UBiawp040259 (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=NO); Sat, 30 Jun 2018 11:44:37 GMT Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 (1.0) From: Arrigo Triulzi X-Mailer: iPhone Mail (15G5074a) In-Reply-To: <3386fb80b5282f7bca0ccf34252182c2398232c1@webmail.yaccman.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2018 13:44:30 +0200 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message-Id: <5D272962-0063-4D28-B551-F381D3D10239@alchemistowl.org> References: <3386fb80b5282f7bca0ccf34252182c2398232c1@webmail.yaccman.com> To: Steve Johnson X-Mailman-Approved-At: Sun, 01 Jul 2018 08:15:48 +1000 Subject: Re: [TUHS] Any Good dmr Anecdotes? X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: tuhs@tuhs.org Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" My memories of dmr are limited to one encounter when he came to Italy, more p= recisely to the University of Milan, in the late 70s or early 80s (cannot re= member exactly, there=E2=80=99s a picture in Peter Salus=E2=80=99 book thoug= h). I was a child, had been introduced to Lisp as part of an experiment in teach= ing to primary school children but my dad, at the time teaching robotics in t= he nascent =E2=80=9CCybernetics=E2=80=9D group of the Physics department, wa= s starting me on C.=20 As I was told this visitor was the R in the =E2=80=9CK&R=E2=80=9D book I fel= t I could finally ask =E2=80=9Csomeone who knew=E2=80=9D how printf() worked= with a variable number of arguments. I was at best 10 and dmr patiently sat= down and explained it to me in terms I could understand. I remember that he= asked me if I understood pointers, I told him it was like putting a big arr= ow which you could move around, pointing to a house instead of actually usin= g the house number and he smiled then taking the explanation on from there. I wish I could have met him again in my life to thank him for that time he d= edicated to a child to demystify printf(). Arrigo=20