What a terrible month for computing...
I have a feeling this will start being a lot more common in the computer world. The founders of everything are starting to hit their later ages. :(
John McCarthy Has Died
11–20 of 231 posts
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#12This seems to be the original tweet http://twitter.com/#!/wendyg/status/128554733714669568
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#13Steve Jobs, Dennis Ritchie, and now John McCarthy - maybe some truth that deaths always come in 3's. Quite unnerving.
We should propose National Computing Month or something for October.
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#14For a fun portrait of McCarthy's early life and aspirations, see the passages about him in "What the Doormouse Said". [1] - Born to communist activists in 1920s Boston - Studied math with John Nash at Princeton - Organized the first computer-chess match in 1965, pitting his own algorithm against one created by computer scientists in the USSR, with moves communicated by telegraph. While many will remember him for Lisp…
Excellent book BTW, would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of not just computing but what we think of as UI/UX.
It's almost depressing to see the same problems we keep (re-)solving have had great minds beating on them for quite a while now :)
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#15He has a string of accomplishments that still live on in active development... and he made it to 84. That's a good run.
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#16This seems to be the original tweet http://twitter.com/#!/wendyg/status/128554733714669568
Not to be "that guy", but does she have any connection to him? Why should I believe she isn't just some random that made that up?
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#17(he (will (be (dearly (missed)))))
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#18Does anyone have a better article? I can't find any other information about it. I found out from the NYC Lisp mailing list, and Wikipedia confirmed it. Sad, sad, sad day. :(
Do you have a source (i.e. link to the mailing list)? Unfortunately the person who added it to the Wiki article didn't add one.
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#19Anyone got a reliable source corroborating this?
The WikiPedia history states that there was some personal communication with his sister.
Re: John McCarthy Has Died
#20This really needs a better source. There's no citation provided, and Wikipedia can't keep any details of his death up without one.
Basically, I have a spoonful of salt to hand.