3 C, C++, and Fortran compilers might bear the Solaris brand and they may have their heritage on the many different platforms that Forte Software originally supported – a company that Sun Microsystems acquired for $540m back in August 1999 – but... The compiler suite includes C and C++ compilers that have features which make them compatible with the GNU GCC open source compiler set. Having cranked Solaris Unix up to 11, software giant Oracle has now revved up a new companion set of compilers that work with the new operating system as well as the current Oracle Linux clone of Red Hat's Enterprise Linux. the DBX debugger (which works on source code as well as in real-time mode on compiled code).

The computing industry came of age in the 1950s, and many of the individuals who laid the groundwork for modern computing, smart electronics and the Internet are now in their 80s. Many of the leaders who passed away in 2011 were founders and chief executives who transformed their companies to take advantage of emerging technology. While some of the pioneers are better known than others, every one of the names on this list made their mark and has inspired thousands of people with their contributions. In memory of these innovators, eWEEK honors some of the individuals who made all the things modern society takes for granted possible, such as digital computers, cellular phones and interconnected networks. Several worked on the theoretical foundations in the fields of optics, mathematics and cryptography.