Steve, Dennis & My Dreams

Couple of weeks after the demise of Dennis Ritchie a picture got quite popular on fb. It questions the media favour and millions of RIPs and praises over the social network for legendary Steve Jobs against the negligible to another Legend Dennis Ritchie, who was discovered dead just a week after the former.
Needless to say both had contribute quite significantly and help give direction to the future of technology. I contain to elaborate on their contribution, because if you opted to read this, I assume you know their work.

My sub-conscious mind took a deeper impact on the subject than I thought and I dreamt twice on the related stuff. So I let the storm out here.

The real concern that picture raises is - Why Steve received more attention than Dennis, when the reality is that their had been No Apple without Unix.

The immediate response to this question is another question.
Why are you asking now when both of them died?
Steve's popularity was always high to Dennis's, even when they were alive. Steve was news with the inception of Macintosh. He was news when he was fired from his own company. He was news with NeXT and Pixar, his popularity sored with imac and he was a phenomenon with ipod and later coming iproducts.
On the contrary Media or people never talked about Dennis like this on his achievements. Unix and C, two great inventions. Those became essence of some great technological development and are still very relevant. But apart from the technical journal's or few text books, Dennis was always unknown to the media/people.

Lets see why-

First, Media has to attract people to sell itself to advertisers. So they talks of stuff which interests people. Social media where people are directly involved will talk of those matters that touched them directly. The iproducts touched the crowd and Steve was synonyms to it. So he was discussed.
Dennis heavily impacted technology in general and he is talked and mentioned whenever there is need to show respect for his Genius. Didn't you read Yashwant's Kanitkar's C books where author had so generously praised Dennis.

Next, Steve's products are product of luxury and status, not Dennis's. You will find teens or girls blabbering on road, tv or parties, "I loooove iphone/iproducts" (with annoying and un-natual stress on o of love), or put chat/fb/tw status as "I got my iphone. Yipeeee" (with so many unnecessary es). Can you ever imagine such outward expression of feelings for Unix/C, on public channels without any reason. Well don't even attempt to imagine, or you will get cramped belly laughing.

Next see what both of them tried to achieve in their lives.
Steve desired to design products to get cult tag in its category. He achieved it for almost all of his products.
Dennis desired to preserve, a good programming environment with close communication. He achieved it. In doing that he created a beautiful language "C" which stood the test of time.

When Steve's product goes to market, it is talked by it's users, the people. And when Dennis's product reached market and it's usage is eventually understood over the period of time and it is also talked by it's users, the technical people.
Now you are counting people vs technical people. Should I say who's the winner?

But this is right to question why those who create fortune with their efforts are credited more than those who open source their efforts for general good.
The disparity often disgusts us but what's the use. We live in World where Economy weighed our value.

However it's still not too late. Make a change. Start Talking and popularizing Linus Torvalds than Bill Gates. These Legends are alive.

शुभ दीपावली !!

Country's Management is Hay-wired. Happy Diwali!
Country's soaring economy stricken with corruption. Happy Diwali!
Share Market holds hard, avoiding Tumble. Happy Diwali!
"Be Selfish & Bother None" is the Popular Social Mantra. Happy Diwali!
Prices soar, Inflation Uncontrolled. Happy Diwali!
There is hunger, there is suicide. Happy Diwali!
Top to bottom n east to west, country is inflicted with feuds & Fights. Happy Diwali!

There are thousands of reason to feels Sad & Low.
This festival called Deepawali has come, to shine your face & give reasons to Glow.

Deepawali, a Festival of Light,
   A timid flame coming out of a tiny Deepak, inspires to keep going in the Darkest of Time & Fight, 
  instead wondering why there is no moon in Sky, why there is no light.
Deepawali, a Festival of Victory.
  The religious story narrates about a Mighty Evil King loses to a Exiled Prince,
  and dies, who gains His Strength through his Goodness & Courage,
  and Sets his loved one Free.
This Deepawali, as you lit the first Deepak,
  let the Shimmering flame Wipes all Dark and Evil
  in your Life, in your Neighbourhood & in your Country.

Shubh Deepawali!!!

शुभ दीपावली !!

Old Habit Re-Surfaced

Video Games had always been my Passion. Two days back I did something which triggered me to write this. The old habit transformed itself and revisited.
My childhood had associations with characters of Mario, Contra, etc. In my college days, games became my addiction. It would be any game though preferred were strategic territorial. AOE was one of My Favourites. Now a days I don't play but since last 1 month, the old habit re-surfaced.
During college day, my friend cum room-mate, a person with rational approach towards life, would always advice me to contain my passion to a level of sanity. I often heeded his advice and un-install all games. And reinstall them again in a day or two when the influence of advice weakens against my urge to play. The Rationale in Me too tried to control but it seemed incorrigible. But I also had to ensure my good grades, so a month before exams I would un-install and destroy the source (i.e. I would break all game CDs). And I would visit the game shop on the very day of my last exam to buy all those games which I broke including few new ones. I would delay my home return for a day or two so that I could peacefully play games to my heart content.

Of all, this particular incident explains it all.
It was post 5th semester exams time, I intentionally delayed my home journey for two days while my roommate left the same day.
I accompanied my friend to station, and after his train departed, I returned to my flat. No words to express with what joy. All the way from station to my rented apartment (17km), while I rode my bike, I continued thinking how will I create new regions and play with different strategies.
Reached home & started playing somewhere at evening 6. The game continued for 30 hours i.e. until mid night next day, when the power went off. I hit hard the table and cursed Indian government for not being able to give sufficient power supply. Then I felt hunger. It was natural, since last 30 hours while I was playing I lived on sugar and water. Easy source of energy. Then I also realized that my eyes were excruciatingly painful. I used a torch to inspect my eyes. Those were bad, both swollen while my right eye was blood red. The continuous CRT monitor staring was the reason (the doctor told next day). I wondered if the anti-glare screen was at all effective or was it my mistake. The feeling was mix of guild & fear. Whatever it was, I didn't want to wear specs. I swear the very moment that I would never play games (with such insanity, I clarified myself) and wished the power cut should continue at least until I sleep or my resolution wouldn't last even a night.
When at job, the first thing I bought from my salary was the best anti-glare specs. The lightest frame & glass, most effective at CRTs and wouldn't give mark on my nose. But the game playing continued but for some years.
What about the incident I mentioned at the starting??
Well it's like this. Now fb host the games I play, not addicted though. Recently there was a new game launched, territorial kind of game. Here you build army and loot others resources, but even your region can get attacked if you are off-line. I unleashed havoc on many other's region but needless to say they retaliated. And there's this one guy who tested my patience by attacking quite brutally every time I dared take penny from his region. So I kept my game on-line on laptop @home. But there were many such smart people. So two week later the game got an update and the session gets auto logged off if you are not active for a specific duration. What the hell? To those whom I razed covering myself under this strategy, haunted me back in my region.
So two days back I scripted the login part and scheduled it. Now my region remains active even while I am at office/off-line. And since last Wednesday evening my region is never attack. Now it's show time again. Wow the pleasure of Invincibility has no bounds.
Someone said Old Habit dies Hard but what if one never wanted it to Die. I have got my old passion transformed as I devised not to waste time on un-productive habits even if you wish to maintain. Technology Helps.