In a rare and revealing discussion, computing pioneer Ken Thompson has shed light on the genesis of the Go programming language (Golang) at Google. As one of the creators of Unix and a Turing Award winner, Thompson’s insight into Go’s development offers a fascinating look at how the language was engineered to solve the specific frustration of slow build times and complex code management within Google’s massive monolithic codebase.
Thompson explains that Go was designed from the ground up to balance the runtime efficiency of C++ with the development speed of Python. By focusing on simplicity, concurrency, and static typing, Thompson and his colleagues—including Rob Pike and Robert Griesemer—created a tool that would eventually power the modern cloud infrastructure. This retrospective not only highlights the language’s technical milestones but also cements its status as a cornerstone for scalable backend systems.
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