14 ms·

Unix: A History and a Memoir, by Brian Kernighan

502 points by f2f 7y ago

f2f 7y ago
Currently #1 in "Best Sellers in Computing Industry History" on amazon, which is somewhat of a weird category :)
- tomhoward 7y ago
  It's almost as if the more "best seller" lists there are, the more authors will make efforts to get onto them :)
- enriquto 7y ago
  Any book is a bestseller in some category.
vymague 7y ago
Probably not true. But it's fun to imagine that even Brian Kernighan were not able to find a publisher, and needed to resort to self-publishing.
- sritchie 7y ago
  I can report that this is not true in this case - Brian wrote his book over the summer and, I think, wanted to get it out for the Unix 50 event at Bell Labs this past week.
Myrmornis 7y ago
Anyone able to comment on his recent non-programming-language books? For example, how's "Understanding The Digital World"? http://kernighan.com/udw.html http://kernighan.com/udw.html
- 4ad 7y ago
  They are great. I gifted them to my non-tech friends and they have thoroughly enjoyed them and learned something.
- danso 7y ago
  Was just about to comment that in lieu of buying an ebook version of the currently discussed Unix book, I discovered he had written "Understanding the Digital World" and bought it on impulse. Currently going through the first chapter now. Like all of his books, extremely well-written. I was surprised at how much the introduction focused on data sharing and the Snowden-revelations, which he segues into after talking about how he and his wife weren't using Airbnb, Uber, and Whatsapp, on a recent vacation trip.
Aloha 7y ago
I bought the book, and read it, enjoying it greatly. Amusingly, Alexa notified me when it arrived, and the notification was "Your purchase UNIX has arrived."
- jhbadger 7y ago
  However, you had also ordered a book about castrati singers, so the announcement was ambiguous.
iamjk 7y ago
You'd think he would have found someone to design a nicer cover for him.
- gorgoiler 7y ago
  A utilitarian hack seems apt for the subject material.
- jmarcher 7y ago
  You have no idea. I received my copy a few days ago. The whole cover is a low-resolution bitmap for both the image and the text. The book is a great read otherwise!
  - imwally 7y ago
    Seriously, I thought I received a knock-off when I first opened the package.
unlinked_dll 7y ago
I find a lot of books on subjects I'm interested in are quite dry. Is this a departure from that? I'd like something I'd enjoy, and something I can buy as a gift for some family members who enjoy nonfiction on topics they aren't necessarily versed in.
segmondy 7y ago
I look forward to reading this I own and have read his following books and they were all superb! The Go Programming Language The Practice of Programming The C Programming Language The AWK Programming Language
- QualityReboot 7y ago
  Just out of curiosity, why awk? I've only ever used it for simple text splitting and didn't really know people did more with it. Is it a tool worth learning?
  - shakna 7y ago
    Awk is great for data pipelines, not just oneliners. For a long while I maintained a program that took the compiler output (intermediate form) from one toolchain, and converted it to another (intermediate form). Why awk? It was faster, and more readable, than any of the alternatives, whilst being much much shorter.
  - Pimpus 7y ago
    It's a question you have to answer yourself. I struggle to see how awk would fit into my work flow, personally, and it's not feasible to learn every cool tool. And you'd have to use it somewhat frequently or you start forgetting the syntax, unless you make Anki cards
  - throw56 7y ago
    read the comments: https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%22awk%22 https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%22awk%22
  - enriquto 7y ago
    Besides its obvious utility and generality (many tasks in computer science can be effectively solved by "simple text splitting" when the data is a few GB, and your data is often a few GB), it is worth learning awk just because the awk book is a masterpiece.
  - microtherion 7y ago
softinio 7y ago
Is there a kindle/digital/ebook version of this book? I can't seem to find it.
- Stratoscope 7y ago
  I don’t see one either, which puzzles me. I only read on paper if there is no other alternative. This seems like exactly the kind of book I would hope to read in digital form, but I'm not finding it.
  - sfifs 7y ago
    The irony of using Kindle Direct publishing but not putting out a Kindle version is palpable :-) I have stopped buying paper books over past several years as they simply accumulate moisture and mould in the climate I live in and make rooms smell musty. It is incomprehensible to me why primarily textual books would be published without and ebook version these days.
    - ghostly_s 7y ago
      Oh it's vanity press? That explains the...cover. You'd think Kernighan would have no shortage of technical presses willing to put something out on whatever terms he dictated.
      - davidgerard 7y ago
        The joy of Kindle publishing is that you keep all the money ;-) This is already #243 out of all Amazon, so I'd say he was correct in this ...
        greatquux 7y ago
        nice! but what's holding me back also is the lack of a digital version, otherwise i'd already have bought it. edit: he replied to me to say he's uploaded a version today that has to be approved.
      - 7y ago
bexsella 7y ago
I haven't received my copy just yet, but I am keen to get reading it. Although there is some fun conversation to be had with people from a non-tech background when you're excited for your copy of Eunuchs: A History and a Memoir to arrive.
Natales 7y ago
I've always felt we don't appreciate history very much in our industry. I've been lucky enough to work and hang out with some of the co-founders of very impactful projects, such as OpenStack and Cloud Foundry, and there are so many stories I've heard that I'm sure would be insightful and valuable lessons for whomever is embarking on new ideas. And yet, we all move so fast, that there is no time to stop and write them down. I'm glad BK did. UNIX is foundational to essentially all software-driven technology today, in one way or another. His book (along with Dennis Ritchie) on the C Programming Language made a huge impact for me as a CompSci student in the 80s, as did UNIX itself (Ultrix and DG/OS were my fist UNIX variants). I look forward to read his book.
- ethbro 7y ago
  Absolutely agreed. It's a shame we talk past each other, when so many answers were already discovered and documented in the past. I try and keep the following in mind (even when my ego fights it). (A) I am very unlikely to be the smartest person who's ever thought about a problem. (B) Even if their technology differed, some parts of their approach are useful. (C) Clues and references pop up in the oddest places, so ears open and notepad ready. (D) Accept references graciously, in the spirit of a gift. (E) Name dropping historical references without providing actual context is always in poor taste.
  - shrimp_emoji 7y ago
    >I try and keep the following in mind (even when my ego fights it). >(A) I am very unlikely to be the smartest person who's ever thought about a problem. My god.
    - globuous 7y ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution
      - fao_ 7y ago
        I think the person in question is stating that the person they're responding to _shouldn't have to remind themselves of those things_
arduinomancer 7y ago
I've seen a lot of Brian Kernighan on the YouTube Computerphile channel and he's very well spoken and interesting to listen to. Might have to pick this up.
sprachspiel 7y ago
Everyone interested in the history of computing should read The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. The book pretends to be the biography by a little-known, but highly-influential guy named Licklider, but is in fact maybe the best general history of computing. It covers Turing, von Neumann, ARPA, Multics, DARPA (the internet), and Xerox PARC. Alan Key recommends it as the best history of PARC.
xiaodai 7y ago
Purchased right away!
sp0ck 7y ago
Watching Brian Kernighan and Professor Brailsford on YT Computerfile is pure pleasure to hear and see how world look from their perspective and quite often allows to use the same principles today. We believe so much changed in his industry but some foundations are the same like 50 years ago :)
- throw56 7y ago
  correction. Isn't it computerphile?
nankomo 7y ago
old is gold fit here
- mseepgood 7y ago
  The book is brand-new.
rajesh-s 7y ago
I agree with you on that we don't tend to appreciate history and attempt to be aware of how long things have been around. I'm looking forward to read this too! On that note, this post reminds me of another great book (eye-opener of sorts) that I read a while ago that takes the reader through the history of some important milestones in hardware and software https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Book-Artificial-Intelligence-Milestones/dp/145492621X https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Book-Artificial-Intelligence... After I read this, I was surprised to learn that the concept/ideas which seem very recent because of the interest/research around it have actually been around for a long time. For instance, I learnt that "Secure Multi Party Communication" has been around since 1982, Verilog since 1984, AI Medical diagnosis since 1975.
koffiezet 7y ago
I'm always amazed how well Brian Kernighan can explain things. I love the episodes on the Computerphile youtube channel with him. Recently I discovered the AT&T history channel, with this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 There is a massive difference in appearance and clarity between him and the other people appearing in that video, even the "presenter"...
- gftsantana 7y ago
  > Recently I discovered the AT&T history channel, with this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 I go back to this video every once in a while ever since I discovered it a few years ago. I just think it is super relaxing. When I first watched it, I was beginning to use Linux and, when I opened my terminal emulator, I was like: "It's a Unix system, I know this!" The pipelines explanation was incredibly clear. I also love the Computerphile episodes with professor Kernighan.
jasoneckert 7y ago
I read this one on Saturday (bought it from Amazon after I saw it posted here earlier in the week). It's very good at detailing how UNIX was developed in the early days and how it exploded after 1979 with V7 - and in a way that isn't difficult to read whatsoever. There are some sections about the inner workings of UNIX I already knew - but skimming through those allowed me to catch a few historical gems I didn't know.
nindalf 7y ago
The link says “Published by Kindle direct publishing” but I can’t find the kindle version on amazon. Or indeed any ebook version. Do Kindle books not show up for pre order usually?
- davidgerard 7y ago
  CreateSpace (paperbacks) is now part of Kindle, so you can release a paperback with no ebook on Kindle.
- thomond 7y ago
  There doesn't appear to be a kindle version. There's a link to request one from the publisher on the Amazon page though.
davidgerard 7y ago
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243 in Books like, that's all books on Amazon US
aasasd 7y ago
The ‘Customers who bought this item also bought’ on Amazon is pretty telling: the Snowden book, a Yubikey, an electronics testing tool, coolers for Raspberry Pi, retractable Ethernet cable, wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner (what even is that), and sandalwood shaving cream.
- LameRubberDucky 7y ago
  What I saw on the first two pages of Customers who bought.... list was: Database Internals, Snowden book, Algorithms book, BPF Performance tools, Your Linux Toolbox, The Go Programming Language, The Pragmatic Programmer, Quantum Computing, A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics, An Elegant Puzzle I had to go up to page 14 of the items list to find all of the items you listed and to find the wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner. Edit: Took out unneeded snark. It seems I fell prey to Amazon algorithms.
  - aasasd 7y ago
    > Isn't this a bit of a cherry picked list? I only see these items plus another cooler and a Macbook stand.
    - LameRubberDucky 7y ago
      We've been analyzed and found wanting. Dang marketing algorithms.
- pjc50 7y ago
  > wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner (what even is that), It's basically a fancy version of those metal pot scourers for cleaning the burnt bits off, but without damaging the metal plating on the tip.
  - aasasd 7y ago
    Ah. Alas the only thing that I needed to clean off the iron is solder that doesn't ever want to leave the tip and go on the contacts.
notpeter 7y ago
As others have noticed, there is no Kindle version. Look Inside is enabled so you can start reading in-browser: https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1695978552/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=prod-detail-20&link=reader https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1695978552/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... While the story/writing is interesting, like most self-published titles this book needs some professional layout/editing help. The second and sixth pages of chapter 1 are full page Google Maps of central NJ and Google Satellite view of Bell Labs. Eeek. This may also be why there is no Kindle version yet. Many pages have full-color images and would need significant changes for a decent Kindle reading experience.
dcminter 7y ago
For those interested in the subject I can recommend the very readable "A Quarter Century of Unix" by Peter Salus.
greatquux 7y ago
Regarding availability of an ebook version, I just wrote to bwk and got back a reply within a few minutes: -----Original Message----- From: Brian Kernighan <bwk@cs.princeton.edu> To: Mike Russo <mike@papersolve.com> Subject: Re: please publish ebook of Unix memoir!! Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 11:12:48 -0400 Mike -- I have just uploaded a Kindle version, but it has to go through Amazon's approval, which could take a day. I also can't see a preview on a physical device, so I have no idea whether it will actually look right. If it doesn't, I'll have to pull it and figure out an alternative. Brian K On Mon, 28 Oct 2019, Mike Russo wrote: if you get an ebook of it out there it will sell even more!! and thanks for writing it! -- Michael Russo, Systems Engineer PaperSolve, Inc. 268 Watchogue Road Staten Island, NY 10314 Your random quote for today: ..you could spend all day customizing the title bar. Believe me. I speak from experience. -- Matt Welsh
- stevej_cbr 7y ago
  It's now available. Big thanks to BWK for doing this. Australia: A$11.99 [my local site] https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ or US$8.20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ vs printed book US$18 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695978552 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695978552
jen_h 7y ago
Looking forward to reading this! Had the pleasure of seeing Brian Kernighan and Ken Thompson speak at VCF East earlier this year, totally worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o I highly recommend hitting up a Vintage Computer Festival if you've got the opportunity (http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/ http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/). Not only did Kernighan and Thompson speak, but also Joe Decuir of Atari & Amiga fame.

502 points by f2f 7y ago

f2f 7y ago

Currently #1 in "Best Sellers in Computing Industry History" on amazon, which is somewhat of a weird category :)

tomhoward 7y ago
It's almost as if the more "best seller" lists there are, the more authors will make efforts to get onto them :)
enriquto 7y ago
Any book is a bestseller in some category.

vymague 7y ago

Probably not true. But it's fun to imagine that even Brian Kernighan were not able to find a publisher, and needed to resort to self-publishing.

sritchie 7y ago
I can report that this is not true in this case - Brian wrote his book over the summer and, I think, wanted to get it out for the Unix 50 event at Bell Labs this past week.

Myrmornis 7y ago

Anyone able to comment on his recent non-programming-language books? For example, how's "Understanding The Digital World"? http://kernighan.com/udw.html http://kernighan.com/udw.html

4ad 7y ago
They are great. I gifted them to my non-tech friends and they have thoroughly enjoyed them and learned something.
danso 7y ago
Was just about to comment that in lieu of buying an ebook version of the currently discussed Unix book, I discovered he had written "Understanding the Digital World" and bought it on impulse. Currently going through the first chapter now. Like all of his books, extremely well-written. I was surprised at how much the introduction focused on data sharing and the Snowden-revelations, which he segues into after talking about how he and his wife weren't using Airbnb, Uber, and Whatsapp, on a recent vacation trip.

Aloha 7y ago

I bought the book, and read it, enjoying it greatly. Amusingly, Alexa notified me when it arrived, and the notification was "Your purchase UNIX has arrived."

jhbadger 7y ago
However, you had also ordered a book about castrati singers, so the announcement was ambiguous.

iamjk 7y ago

You'd think he would have found someone to design a nicer cover for him.

gorgoiler 7y ago
A utilitarian hack seems apt for the subject material.
jmarcher 7y ago
You have no idea. I received my copy a few days ago. The whole cover is a low-resolution bitmap for both the image and the text. The book is a great read otherwise!
- imwally 7y ago
  Seriously, I thought I received a knock-off when I first opened the package.

unlinked_dll 7y ago

I find a lot of books on subjects I'm interested in are quite dry. Is this a departure from that? I'd like something I'd enjoy, and something I can buy as a gift for some family members who enjoy nonfiction on topics they aren't necessarily versed in.

segmondy 7y ago

I look forward to reading this I own and have read his following books and they were all superb! The Go Programming Language The Practice of Programming The C Programming Language The AWK Programming Language

QualityReboot 7y ago
Just out of curiosity, why awk? I've only ever used it for simple text splitting and didn't really know people did more with it. Is it a tool worth learning?
- shakna 7y ago
  Awk is great for data pipelines, not just oneliners. For a long while I maintained a program that took the compiler output (intermediate form) from one toolchain, and converted it to another (intermediate form). Why awk? It was faster, and more readable, than any of the alternatives, whilst being much much shorter.
- Pimpus 7y ago
  It's a question you have to answer yourself. I struggle to see how awk would fit into my work flow, personally, and it's not feasible to learn every cool tool. And you'd have to use it somewhat frequently or you start forgetting the syntax, unless you make Anki cards
- throw56 7y ago
  read the comments: https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%22awk%22 https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%22awk%22
- enriquto 7y ago
  Besides its obvious utility and generality (many tasks in computer science can be effectively solved by "simple text splitting" when the data is a few GB, and your data is often a few GB), it is worth learning awk just because the awk book is a masterpiece.
- microtherion 7y ago

softinio 7y ago

Is there a kindle/digital/ebook version of this book? I can't seem to find it.

Stratoscope 7y ago
I don’t see one either, which puzzles me. I only read on paper if there is no other alternative. This seems like exactly the kind of book I would hope to read in digital form, but I'm not finding it.
- sfifs 7y ago
  The irony of using Kindle Direct publishing but not putting out a Kindle version is palpable :-) I have stopped buying paper books over past several years as they simply accumulate moisture and mould in the climate I live in and make rooms smell musty. It is incomprehensible to me why primarily textual books would be published without and ebook version these days.
  - ghostly_s 7y ago
    Oh it's vanity press? That explains the...cover. You'd think Kernighan would have no shortage of technical presses willing to put something out on whatever terms he dictated.
    - davidgerard 7y ago
      The joy of Kindle publishing is that you keep all the money ;-) This is already #243 out of all Amazon, so I'd say he was correct in this ...
      - greatquux 7y ago
        nice! but what's holding me back also is the lack of a digital version, otherwise i'd already have bought it. edit: he replied to me to say he's uploaded a version today that has to be approved.
    - 7y ago

bexsella 7y ago

I haven't received my copy just yet, but I am keen to get reading it. Although there is some fun conversation to be had with people from a non-tech background when you're excited for your copy of Eunuchs: A History and a Memoir to arrive.

Natales 7y ago

I've always felt we don't appreciate history very much in our industry. I've been lucky enough to work and hang out with some of the co-founders of very impactful projects, such as OpenStack and Cloud Foundry, and there are so many stories I've heard that I'm sure would be insightful and valuable lessons for whomever is embarking on new ideas. And yet, we all move so fast, that there is no time to stop and write them down. I'm glad BK did. UNIX is foundational to essentially all software-driven technology today, in one way or another. His book (along with Dennis Ritchie) on the C Programming Language made a huge impact for me as a CompSci student in the 80s, as did UNIX itself (Ultrix and DG/OS were my fist UNIX variants). I look forward to read his book.

ethbro 7y ago
Absolutely agreed. It's a shame we talk past each other, when so many answers were already discovered and documented in the past. I try and keep the following in mind (even when my ego fights it). (A) I am very unlikely to be the smartest person who's ever thought about a problem. (B) Even if their technology differed, some parts of their approach are useful. (C) Clues and references pop up in the oddest places, so ears open and notepad ready. (D) Accept references graciously, in the spirit of a gift. (E) Name dropping historical references without providing actual context is always in poor taste.
- shrimp_emoji 7y ago
  >I try and keep the following in mind (even when my ego fights it). >(A) I am very unlikely to be the smartest person who's ever thought about a problem. My god.
  - globuous 7y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution
    - fao_ 7y ago
      I think the person in question is stating that the person they're responding to _shouldn't have to remind themselves of those things_

arduinomancer 7y ago

I've seen a lot of Brian Kernighan on the YouTube Computerphile channel and he's very well spoken and interesting to listen to. Might have to pick this up.

sprachspiel 7y ago

Everyone interested in the history of computing should read The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. The book pretends to be the biography by a little-known, but highly-influential guy named Licklider, but is in fact maybe the best general history of computing. It covers Turing, von Neumann, ARPA, Multics, DARPA (the internet), and Xerox PARC. Alan Key recommends it as the best history of PARC.

xiaodai 7y ago

Purchased right away!

sp0ck 7y ago

Watching Brian Kernighan and Professor Brailsford on YT Computerfile is pure pleasure to hear and see how world look from their perspective and quite often allows to use the same principles today. We believe so much changed in his industry but some foundations are the same like 50 years ago :)

throw56 7y ago
correction. Isn't it computerphile?

nankomo 7y ago

old is gold fit here

mseepgood 7y ago
The book is brand-new.

rajesh-s 7y ago

I agree with you on that we don't tend to appreciate history and attempt to be aware of how long things have been around. I'm looking forward to read this too! On that note, this post reminds me of another great book (eye-opener of sorts) that I read a while ago that takes the reader through the history of some important milestones in hardware and software https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Book-Artificial-Intelligence-Milestones/dp/145492621X https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Book-Artificial-Intelligence... After I read this, I was surprised to learn that the concept/ideas which seem very recent because of the interest/research around it have actually been around for a long time. For instance, I learnt that "Secure Multi Party Communication" has been around since 1982, Verilog since 1984, AI Medical diagnosis since 1975.

koffiezet 7y ago

I'm always amazed how well Brian Kernighan can explain things. I love the episodes on the Computerphile youtube channel with him. Recently I discovered the AT&T history channel, with this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 There is a massive difference in appearance and clarity between him and the other people appearing in that video, even the "presenter"...

gftsantana 7y ago
> Recently I discovered the AT&T history channel, with this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0 I go back to this video every once in a while ever since I discovered it a few years ago. I just think it is super relaxing. When I first watched it, I was beginning to use Linux and, when I opened my terminal emulator, I was like: "It's a Unix system, I know this!" The pipelines explanation was incredibly clear. I also love the Computerphile episodes with professor Kernighan.

jasoneckert 7y ago

I read this one on Saturday (bought it from Amazon after I saw it posted here earlier in the week). It's very good at detailing how UNIX was developed in the early days and how it exploded after 1979 with V7 - and in a way that isn't difficult to read whatsoever. There are some sections about the inner workings of UNIX I already knew - but skimming through those allowed me to catch a few historical gems I didn't know.

nindalf 7y ago

The link says “Published by Kindle direct publishing” but I can’t find the kindle version on amazon. Or indeed any ebook version. Do Kindle books not show up for pre order usually?

davidgerard 7y ago
CreateSpace (paperbacks) is now part of Kindle, so you can release a paperback with no ebook on Kindle.
thomond 7y ago
There doesn't appear to be a kindle version. There's a link to request one from the publisher on the Amazon page though.

davidgerard 7y ago

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243 in Books like, that's all books on Amazon US

aasasd 7y ago

The ‘Customers who bought this item also bought’ on Amazon is pretty telling: the Snowden book, a Yubikey, an electronics testing tool, coolers for Raspberry Pi, retractable Ethernet cable, wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner (what even is that), and sandalwood shaving cream.

LameRubberDucky 7y ago
What I saw on the first two pages of Customers who bought.... list was: Database Internals, Snowden book, Algorithms book, BPF Performance tools, Your Linux Toolbox, The Go Programming Language, The Pragmatic Programmer, Quantum Computing, A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics, An Elegant Puzzle I had to go up to page 14 of the items list to find all of the items you listed and to find the wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner. Edit: Took out unneeded snark. It seems I fell prey to Amazon algorithms.
- aasasd 7y ago
  > Isn't this a bit of a cherry picked list? I only see these items plus another cooler and a Macbook stand.
  - LameRubberDucky 7y ago
    We've been analyzed and found wanting. Dang marketing algorithms.
pjc50 7y ago
> wire-type soldering iron tip cleaner (what even is that), It's basically a fancy version of those metal pot scourers for cleaning the burnt bits off, but without damaging the metal plating on the tip.
- aasasd 7y ago
  Ah. Alas the only thing that I needed to clean off the iron is solder that doesn't ever want to leave the tip and go on the contacts.

notpeter 7y ago

As others have noticed, there is no Kindle version. Look Inside is enabled so you can start reading in-browser: https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1695978552/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=prod-detail-20&link=reader https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1695978552/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... While the story/writing is interesting, like most self-published titles this book needs some professional layout/editing help. The second and sixth pages of chapter 1 are full page Google Maps of central NJ and Google Satellite view of Bell Labs. Eeek. This may also be why there is no Kindle version yet. Many pages have full-color images and would need significant changes for a decent Kindle reading experience.

dcminter 7y ago

For those interested in the subject I can recommend the very readable "A Quarter Century of Unix" by Peter Salus.

greatquux 7y ago

Regarding availability of an ebook version, I just wrote to bwk and got back a reply within a few minutes: -----Original Message----- From: Brian Kernighan <bwk@cs.princeton.edu> To: Mike Russo <mike@papersolve.com> Subject: Re: please publish ebook of Unix memoir!! Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 11:12:48 -0400 Mike -- I have just uploaded a Kindle version, but it has to go through Amazon's approval, which could take a day. I also can't see a preview on a physical device, so I have no idea whether it will actually look right. If it doesn't, I'll have to pull it and figure out an alternative. Brian K On Mon, 28 Oct 2019, Mike Russo wrote: if you get an ebook of it out there it will sell even more!! and thanks for writing it! -- Michael Russo, Systems Engineer PaperSolve, Inc. 268 Watchogue Road Staten Island, NY 10314 Your random quote for today: ..you could spend all day customizing the title bar. Believe me. I speak from experience. -- Matt Welsh

stevej_cbr 7y ago
It's now available. Big thanks to BWK for doing this. Australia: A$11.99 [my local site] https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ or US$8.20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQHX3R1/ vs printed book US$18 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695978552 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695978552

jen_h 7y ago

Looking forward to reading this! Had the pleasure of seeing Brian Kernighan and Ken Thompson speak at VCF East earlier this year, totally worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o I highly recommend hitting up a Vintage Computer Festival if you've got the opportunity (http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/ http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/). Not only did Kernighan and Thompson speak, but also Joe Decuir of Atari & Amiga fame.