Posted on 08/20/2009 6:14:21 AM PDT by ShadowAce
The computer world is notorious for its obsession with what is new - largely thanks to the relentless engine of Moore's Law that endlessly presents programmers with more powerful machines.
Given such permanent change, anything that survives for more than one generation of processors deserves a nod.
Think then what the Unix operating system deserves because in August 2009, it celebrates its 40th anniversary. And it has been in use every year of those four decades and today is getting more attention than ever before.
Work on Unix began at Bell Labs after AT&T, (which owned the lab), MIT and GE pulled the plug on an ambitious project to create an operating system called Multics.
The idea was to make better use of the resources of mainframe computers and have them serve many people at the same time.
"With Multics they tried to have a much more versatile and flexible operating system, and it failed miserably," said Dr Peter Salus, author of the definitive history of Unix's early years.
Time well spent
The cancellation meant that two of the researchers assigned to the project, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, had a lot of time on their hands. Frustrated by the size and complexity of Multics but not its aims of making computers more flexible and interactive, they decided to try and finish the work - albeit on a much smaller scale.
The commitment was helped by the fact that in August 1969, Ken Thompson's wife took their new baby to see relatives on the West Coast. She was due to be gone for a month and Thompson decided to use his time constructively - by writing the core of what became Unix.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Linux == UNIX
Be ye ever so humble, there is no place like 127.0.0.1.
“Linux == UNIX”
MacOS X ~= BSD ~= Unix
Windows is the only OS in widespread use that isn’t Unix-based.
127.0.0.1 sweet 127.0.0.1!
There’s a Dilbert cartoon with him meeting a Unix programmer. “The beard, the suspenders. I my God you’re a Unix programmer!”
“Here’s a quarter kid. Go buy a real computer.”
Took my first Intro to UNIX course at Bell Labs School in the Denver area in 1979. Line editor on Model 43 Teleprinters was all we had.....no VI no CRTs.....
UNIX and I first met in 1978, and have been friends ever
since.
There were a couple of advanced UNIX programmers at Basking Ridge that we called ZZ Top....
I have been a UNIX admin for 20 years. Knowing UNIX inside and out has allowed be to refine my laziness to an art form.
Oh and UNIX has made me a people person. =)
Not really. Linux is a UNIX-like POSIX-compliant platform. It's the POSIX compiance that make many people confuse it with Unix.
It is getting closer every year to Unix, though.
;-)
:)
“For you. And any of you vi lovers out there. (Ain’t me. I hate that editor and it hates me.”
:g;ObamaCare;s;;Death Panel;g
Quote:
“Took my first Intro to UNIX course at Bell Labs School in the Denver area in 1979...”
I may know you.
Multics failed???
I worked at SWBT for 31 years. I spent about 3 of those years in UNIX schools..... One of my managers attented with me....we were both humorously accused of getting our UNIX PHDs on company time....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.