I can't recall any difficulty in making the C language definition completely open - any discussion on the matter tended to mention languages whose inventors tried to keep tight control, and consequent ill fate

Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson. Unix was basically his, likewise C's predecessor, likewise much of the basis of Plan 9 (though Rob Pike was the real force in getting it together). And in the meantime Ken created the first computer chess master and pretty much rewrote the book on chess endgames. He is quite a phenomenon.

Some consider UNIX to be the second most important invention to come out of AT&T Bell Labs after the transistor.

A program designed for inputs from people is usually stressed beyond breaking point by computer-generated inputs.

I've done a reasonable amount of travelling, which I enjoyed, but not for too long at a time. I'm a home-body and get fatigued by it fairly soon, but enjoy thinking back on experiences when I've returned and then often wish I'd arranged a longer stay in the somewhat exotic place.

UNIX is basically a simple operating system, but you have to be a genius to understand the simplicity.

Twenty percent of all input forms filled out by people contain bad data.