Ask HN: When was the first usage of “Hello, world”?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8084100

by sillysaurus3 • 12 years ago

6 2 12 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I realize this might be an impossible question to answer, but I was just wondering how "Hello, world" started as a trend.

Al__Dante• 12 years ago

The first use I know of that gained wide recognition was in Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming Language" from 1978.

"1.1 Getting Started The only way to learn a new programming language is by writing programs in it. The first program to write is the same for all languages: Print the words hello, world"

I find it interesting, because K&R seem to assume that this was already a standard approach, and also because of the comma after hello. In my first attempt in a new language, I don't think I would be paying that much attention to grammar...

iends• 12 years ago

In Rob Pike's opening keynote at GopherCon, Rob attributes the first hello world to Brian Kernighan written in B in 1972.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoS7DsT1rdM (minute 2 to 3 it's discussed)

Ask HN: When was the first usage of “Hello, world”?

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