Who wrote the first Hello World program?

[Todd]

I am curious of the origins of the "Hello World" program. Who was the
first to make this popular? That is, where did it start? I did some
Google search and did not find an answer. Was it Kerringan and Richie?
I no longer have that book and I don't remember if it was in that
ubiquitous C book. It was so long ago.

 

[Skarmander]

I am curious of the origins of the "Hello World" program. Who was the
first to make this popular? That is, where did it start? I did some
Google search and did not find an answer. Was it Kerringan and Richie?
I no longer have that book and I don't remember if it was in that
ubiquitous C book. It was so long ago.

Yes, it was K&R.

Wikipedia knows everything: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_world_program

S.

 

[Jack Klein]

I am curious of the origins of the "Hello World" program. Who was the
first to make this popular? That is, where did it start? I did some
Google search and did not find an answer. Was it Kerringan and Richie?
I no longer have that book and I don't remember if it was in that
ubiquitous C book. It was so long ago.

The "Hello World" program was the first example C program in both
editions of K&R. But I doubt that the first edition of that book was
the first time it ever saw the light of day.

As for no longer having the book, shame on you.

Another name once used to refer to that book was "the white book". You
don't hear that much any more. Just as well, I suppose. My copy of
the first edition has become distinctly yellowish over the past
quarter century plus.

 

[Todd]

That is a V8 moment. I should have thought to look in Wikipedia. I
see that it used by Ritche before the C book, as he used it internally
when teaching B. Thank you for confirming this answer. This will make
for good trivia. /T

 

[Randy Howard]

Jack Klein wrote

As for no longer having the book, shame on you.
Ditto.

Another name once used to refer to that book was "the white book". You
don't hear that much any more. Just as well, I suppose. My copy of
the first edition has become distinctly yellowish over the past
quarter century plus.

Same here, but I won't be getting rid of it, regardless.

 

[William J. Leary Jr.]

Another name once used to refer to that book was "the white book". You
don't hear that much any more. Just as well, I suppose. My copy of
the first edition has become distinctly yellowish over the past
quarter century plus.

That sort of naming seems to have fallen out of favor. Anyone remember "The
Aluminum Book" ?

But for some of us, it still works. When I said "Hey, Paul, you got a copy of
the white book here?" he reached for the shelf and handed me two copies.
Original and new.

- Bill

 

[haroon]

That sort of naming seems to have fallen out of favor. Anyone remember "The
Aluminum Book" ?

I am not that old but AFAIK you are refering to Common LISP by Guy
Steel?

haroon

 

[Richard Heathfield]

haroon said:

I am not that old but AFAIK you are refering to Common LISP by Guy
Steel?

Okay, I'll bite - why was that book called "the Aluminum book" rather than
"the Steel book"?

 

[William J. Leary Jr.]

I am not that old but AFAIK you are refering to Common LISP by Guy
Steel?

"Steele," yes.

I always figured the cover was SUPPOSED to look like steel, but they didn't
quite get it right.

- Bill

 

[William J. Leary Jr.]

haroon said:

Okay, I'll bite - why was that book called "the Aluminum book" rather than
"the Steel book"?

Because it was a color reminiscent of aluminum. I suspect they meant it to
look like steel, but missed.

See http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/B/book-titles.html for a few more.

Interestingly, this reference omits "the white book," which I'd always assumed
was very common usage for "The C Programming Language" right along with "K&R."
Perhaps this was New England common usage?

- Bill

 

[P.J. Plauger]

That is a V8 moment. I should have thought to look in Wikipedia. I
see that it used by Ritche before the C book, as he used it internally
when teaching B. Thank you for confirming this answer. This will make
for good trivia. /T

Sounds right, but Kernighan should get full marks for popularizing
the "Hello, World" concept. I learned from him *always* to do the
simplest possible thing first in a new environment, to master the
basics.

Dennis Ritchie's genius lay in balance -- knowing what to simplify
and what to leave out to maximize power for a given amount of
complexity. Brian Kernighan's genius lay in restraint -- knowing
what to do *first* and putting off the difficult bits until
their need is clearly established (if ever).

P.J. Plauger
Dinkumware, Ltd.
http://www.dinkumware.com

 

[Randy Howard]

Richard Heathfield wrote
(in article

haroon said:


Okay, I'll bite - why was that book called "the Aluminum book" rather than
"the Steel book"?

Probably because it would have been the "Steele" book instead?

 

[Richard Tobin]

Okay, I'll bite - why was that book called "the Aluminum book" rather than
"the Steel book"?

It was sometimes called that.

-- Richard

 

[Jack Klein]

Because it was a color reminiscent of aluminum. I suspect they meant it to
look like steel, but missed.

See http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/B/book-titles.html for a few more.

Interestingly, this reference omits "the white book," which I'd always assumed
was very common usage for "The C Programming Language" right along with "K&R."
Perhaps this was New England common usage?

- Bill

I'm in the Midwest, about 1,000 miles from New England, and I remember
"the white book". Otherwise I'd hardly have been able to introduce it
as a digression in this thread.