From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED, DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED,FREEMAIL_FROM,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, T_SCC_BODY_TEXT_LINE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 16220 invoked from network); 11 Apr 2022 19:26:42 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 11 Apr 2022 19:26:42 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 633D39C804; Tue, 12 Apr 2022 05:26:40 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D39679B6CA; Tue, 12 Apr 2022 05:25:22 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="STI9uuIK"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id C2BEB9B6CA; Tue, 12 Apr 2022 05:25:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-lj1-f173.google.com (mail-lj1-f173.google.com [209.85.208.173]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id D808993DC9 for ; Tue, 12 Apr 2022 05:25:18 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-lj1-f173.google.com with SMTP id c15so21379501ljr.9 for ; Mon, 11 Apr 2022 12:25:18 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20210112; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=BCPLPdNCDHn037TfIolo4Uo+AeL7XVtnC1ogk2JiIMs=; b=STI9uuIKulVG3FXyLhrAbk1GOzO0maiSdyggMUvxEOA6TA0mJi6KcorsAhGukaHSzU 54MC5IE9urE9hC3TzP6Xwd3fwMB9q4PyCiRvAPpw9CKX2t2QIyDyyCZpkOOW1g82rlG6 sRMFTkUOZ6Fds+ZIlBqwAdD/DK8LWGjzXv8becqTALT6hCy2FBRCbb8UITNgsYsYeH7e tzITZgbhfj7yZpBjM9XU9sX+JqSrOygwAUSySfl3t/Vpll9yUN0emofgvQFZzmuH91EE M+DrZD4SCgx6AwghNYyoZxYn2V3jqh2kRM+FsX9j4n1+I9uU8sxhe7DkkLKEVvidBVNu tr6g== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20210112; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=BCPLPdNCDHn037TfIolo4Uo+AeL7XVtnC1ogk2JiIMs=; b=hhjzVqAJLfSCa4EylDvaOwuT7xINwyNGCRLgq9itdHpurF2qvDlk0V3gNbkSWZQJvi mh9UzzzD40ST3J4QtBerYCdIt+QoBmeanTq64/GjlD0g1xYMg720Tw9Zn/seBey76q+b pgAzos8TkuGmQ0F1qXPKKRT3OM5Ll4f6NdeQ+0ARf+38MfkKI8drlxBKOrv2n/7URpGh Gzfip4vq0DT3VX168RTrvNuvdHy2brlQNXfXBqPYnkdiyjV5JRvUUwblDP4JgAOFtKMt 2/tBcMsWsuZm0nxIMMNAfSWkJvcRXb4W4ebWBZrO3c6MTOYYUOPAVDOfwlfchKDEF8NG j98w== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM5313W42aqpgWSCIHSm3dG+OOGmwugnpIVpGpi81T9m6XbkUCZzwn 1nlXw8ksNH2A8AXUwLPOH0d0E7xSxTCJ9SHUbnE= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJz81plb/q7Tm/mNB15x8i+xQ5fQYargaVYQsxDMvMYisJevhzmvOfJdLkZzdmtQzbbt/iJunrMdNqT6q0w2ciE= X-Received: by 2002:a05:651c:179f:b0:24b:1406:5f55 with SMTP id bn31-20020a05651c179f00b0024b14065f55mr21264170ljb.361.1649705116961; Mon, 11 Apr 2022 12:25:16 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Dan Cross Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:24:40 -0400 Message-ID: To: Ken Thompson Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000007b110f05dc65e7f2" Subject: Re: [TUHS] {TUHS] Interesting Commentary on Unix from Multicians X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: TUHS main list , Douglas McIlroy Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --0000000000007b110f05dc65e7f2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" On Sat, Apr 9, 2022 at 2:29 PM Ken Thompson wrote: > vic was my department head upon my arrival at > bell labs (june 1966). i went to my assigned office > and found vic, in combat boots, in a lotus position > on top of my filing cabinet. it is a vision that i will > never forget. he had just come to introduce himself. > This is a great story, though I confess that the thought of sitting like that sounds rather uncomfortable. I wonder if either or both of you, Ken, and Doug, could talk a little about the Bell Labs withdrawal from Multics from your perspectives? What was that like, and what was your relationship with the folks at MIT still at Project MAC like afterwards? I gather it was friendly; was there any collaboration there beyond casual correspondence? - Dan C. On Sat, Apr 9, 2022 at 4:48 AM Douglas McIlroy < > douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu> wrote: > >> > Single Level Storage is an awesome concept and removes so many ugly >> > hacks from algorithms that otherwise have to process data in files. >> >> This was Vic Vyssotsky's signature contribution to Multics, though in >> typical >> Vyssotsky fashion he never sought personal credit for it. Other awesome >> Vyssotsky inventions: >> >> BLODI (block diagram), the first data-flow language, for sample-data >> systems. >> >> Parallel flow analysis (later reinvented and published by John Cocke). >> Vic >> installed this in Fortran to produce diagnostics such as, "If the >> third branch of IF >> statement 15 is ever taken, then variable E will be used before being >> set". >> >> Darwin, the original game of predation and self-reproduction among >> programs. >> Corewars.org keeps a descendant version going 60 years later. >> >> A minimum-spanning-tree algorithm quite different from the well-known >> methods >> due to his colleagues Bob Prim and Joe Kruskal, again unpublished. >> >> Not long ago on TUHS, Andrew Hume told how Vic found the same isolated >> bug in >> dc by mathematically generating hard cases that Andrew stumbled on by >> accident, >> >> As you may infer, Vic is one of my personal computing heroes. >> >> Doug >> > --0000000000007b110f05dc65e7f2 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
On Sat, Apr 9, 2022 at 2:29 PM Ken Thomps= on <kenbob@gmail.com> wrote:<= /div>
vic was my department head upon=C2=A0my arriva= l=C2=A0at
bell labs (june 1966). i went to my assigned office
and found vic, in combat boots, in a lotus position
on top= of my filing cabinet. it is a vision that i will
never forget. h= e had just come to introduce himself.

This is a great story, though I confess that the thought of sitting = like that sounds rather uncomfortable.

I wonder if= either or both of you, Ken, and Doug, could talk a little about the Bell L= abs withdrawal from Multics from your perspectives? What was that like, and= what was your relationship with the folks at MIT still at Project MAC like= afterwards? I gather it was friendly; was there any collaboration there be= yond casual correspondence?

=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 - Dan C.


On Sat, Apr 9, 2022 at 4:48 AM Douglas McIlroy <douglas.mcilroy= @dartmouth.edu> wrote:
> Single Level Storage is an awesome concept and removes s= o many ugly
> hacks from algorithms that otherwise have to process data in files.
This was Vic Vyssotsky's signature contribution to Multics, though in t= ypical
Vyssotsky fashion he never sought personal credit for it. Other awesome
Vyssotsky inventions:

BLODI (block diagram), the first data-flow language, for sample-data system= s.

Parallel flow analysis (later reinvented and published=C2=A0 by John Cocke)= . Vic
installed this in Fortran to produce diagnostics such as, "If the
third branch of IF
statement 15 is ever taken, then variable E will be used before being set&q= uot;.

Darwin, the original game of predation and self-reproduction among programs= .
Corewars.org keeps a descendant version going 60 years later.

A minimum-spanning-tree algorithm quite different from the well-known metho= ds
due to his colleagues Bob Prim and Joe Kruskal, again unpublished.

Not long ago on TUHS, Andrew Hume told how Vic found the same isolated bug = in
dc by mathematically generating hard cases that Andrew stumbled on by accid= ent,

As you may infer, Vic is one of my personal computing heroes.

Doug
--0000000000007b110f05dc65e7f2--