Bill Joy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Joy
|
|
|---|---|
,_2003-01_(cropped).jpg)
Joy at World Economic Forum (Davos), 2003-01
|
|
| Born |
William Nelson Joy
November 8, 1954 |
| Education | University of Michigan (BS) University of California, Berkeley (MS) |
| Known for | BSD • vi • csh • chroot • TCP/IP driver • co-founder of Sun Microsystems • Java • SPARC • Solaris • NFS • Why The Future Doesn't Need Us |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Academic advisors | Bob Fabry |
William Nelson Joy (born November 8, 1954) is an American computer engineer and venture capitalist. A computer engineer designs and builds computer hardware and software. A venture capitalist invests money in new companies that have big potential.
Joy helped start a famous computer company called Sun Microsystems in 1982. He worked there as the main scientist and technology officer until 2003. He was very important in creating early versions of BSD UNIX, which is a type of computer operating system. He also wrote the original vi text editor, a program for writing code. In 2000, he wrote an essay called "Why The Future Doesn't Need Us". In this essay, he shared his worries about how new technologies might affect humanity.
Joy was chosen as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1999. This was because of his important work on computer operating systems and networking software.
Contents
Joy's Early Computer Work
William Joy was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan. His father was a school principal. William studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan. Later, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1979.
While he was a student at Berkeley, he worked on the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) version of the Unix operating system. Unix is a powerful computer operating system. He helped improve the core part of Unix, called the kernel. He also managed how BSD was shared with others.
Some of his most famous creations were the ex and vi editors. These are programs used to write and edit text. He also created the C shell, which is a way for users to talk to the computer's operating system. People often tell a story that he wrote the vi editor in just one weekend. However, Joy says this is not true.
Joy also played a key role in developing TCP/IP for Berkeley UNIX. TCP/IP is a set of rules that computers use to communicate over a network, like the internet. He wrote his own version of this software, which worked very well.
Starting Sun Microsystems
In 1982, William Joy became a co-founder of Sun Microsystems. He was the sixteenth person to join the company. At Sun, Joy helped create many important technologies. These include the NFS, which lets computers share files over a network. He also helped develop SPARC microprocessors, which are powerful computer chips.
Joy was also a big part of creating the Java programming language. Java is used to build many different kinds of applications. He also worked on Jini/JavaSpaces and JXTA, which are other computer technologies.
In 1986, Joy received the Grace Murray Hopper Award. This award from the ACM recognized his great work on the Berkeley UNIX Operating System. On September 9, 2003, Sun Microsystems announced that Joy was leaving the company.
After Sun Microsystems
After leaving Sun, Joy continued to be involved in technology. In 1999, he helped start a company called HighBAR Ventures. This company invests in new businesses. In 2005, he became a partner at another investment firm, Kleiner Perkins.
At Kleiner Perkins, Joy has invested in companies that focus on green energy. He believes in supporting new ideas that can help the environment. In 2011, he was honored by the Computer History Museum. He was recognized for his work on the BSD Unix system and for co-founding Sun Microsystems.
Worries About Technology
In 2000, Joy became well-known for an article he wrote in Wired magazine. The article was titled "Why The Future Doesn't Need Us". In it, he shared his deep concerns about new technologies. He worried that advances in genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics could be dangerous for humanity.
He suggested that intelligent robots might become so advanced that they could replace humans. This could happen in terms of smartness and social power. Joy believes we should be careful with these technologies. He thinks we should avoid a "race" to develop them without thinking about the risks.
Some people disagreed with his ideas. They argued that we should focus on making ethical rules for technology instead of stopping its development. Joy's concerns started after a talk with another scientist, Ray Kurzweil. He was surprised that other smart people thought these futures were possible but didn't seem as worried about the dangers as he was.
Despite his concerns, Joy still invests in technology companies. He has even created a special fund to help fight dangers like serious diseases and biological weapons.
Joy's Law of Management
Author Chris Anderson wrote about "Joy's law" in his 2013 book Makers. This law comes from a saying by Bill Joy: "No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else."
This idea suggests that companies might not always hire the very best people. It means that there are always smart people outside a company who could be better than those working inside it. This "law" warns that competition from outside a company can always be very strong.
Joy's Law of Computing
In 1983, Joy also came up with a formula about computer speed. This formula is also called Joy's law. It says that the fastest computer speed doubles every year. This means computers get much faster very quickly over time.
See also
In Spanish: Bill Joy para niños
