Unix: A History and a Memoir

I recently read Brian Kernighan’s Unix: A History and a Memoir. If his name sounds familiar, Brian is also the author of The C Programming Language, along with Dennis Ritchie, the creator of C.

It’s a fascinating book that gives an insider’s view of Bell Labs, a remarkable institution that produced so many great ideas and capitalized on them.

Here're my notes from the book:

Unix: A History and a Memoir

Bell Labs, where Unix began, was a remarkable institution that produced many good ideas and capitalized on them. This book offers a fascinating history into how Unix was conceived, from an insider’s perspective. Written by Brian Kernighan, author of The C Programming Language.

Akshay’s Notes

The main lesson I got from the book was the appreciation of what an exceptional programmer Ken Thompson was. You have to read the book to truly appreciate his brilliance.

I highly recommend you read the book. It's a lovely read and surprisingly, not too technical. Brian Kernighan is a wonderful writer who explains complex technical topics in simple terms so they're easy to understand.

I think you'll love it.