Difference between revisions of "UNIX"

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{{Infobox OS
 
{{Infobox OS
| name = Unix
+
| name = UNIX
 
| creator = Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy at Bell Labs
 
| creator = Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy at Bell Labs
 
| year introduced = 1969
 
| year introduced = 1969
| architecture = Originally [[PDP-7]], then [[PDP-11]] now cross-platform.
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| architecture = Originally [[PDP-7]], then [[PDP-11 architecture|PDP-11]]; now cross-platform.
| type = Time-sharing
+
| type = [[Time-sharing]]
| multitasking = Multitasking with paging/swap
+
| multitasking = [[Multi-tasking]] with [[swapping]]/[[virtual memory|paging]] (latter added in a later version)
 
}}
 
}}
  
Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer [[operating system]] originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. Today's Unix systems are split into various branches, developed over time by AT&T as well as various commercial vendors and non-profit organizations.
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'''Unix''' (officially trademarked as '''UNIX'''® - the documentation switched from using 'UNIX' to 'Unix' as of [[Unix Seventh Edition|V7]]) is a computer [[operating system]] originally developed in the 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including [[Ken Thompson]], [[Dennis Ritchie]] and [[Douglas McIlroy]].
  
Versions of relevance for hobbyists include:
+
Today's Unix systems are split into various branches, developed over time by AT&T as well as various commercial vendors and non-profit organizations. A number of clones of Unix, which share the interfaces, and 'look and feel', but no code, have also been produced; most notably, [[Linux]].
  
* [[Unix System 5]] - The first version with known source and binaries available.
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==Notable versions==
* [[Unix System 6]]
 
* [[Unix System 7]] - One of the most complete and the last generally available and [[PDP-11]] version of Research UNIX
 
* [[2.11 BSD]] - A still-maintained version for PDP-11s
 
* [[4.3-Quasijarus BSD]] - A version of pre-POSIX BSD, still maintained, for the [[VAX]].
 
  
[http://www.netbsd.org NetBSD] will run on a variety of 32-bit older systems from the VAX to the Amiga.  [http://www.openbsd.org OpenBSD] runs well on the [[VAX]].
+
Versions of relevance for hobbyists include (note that 'Version' in early UNIXes refers to the revision of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual'; UNIX didn't really have coordinated [[distro]]s before about V6):
 +
 
 +
* [[PDP-7 Unix|Unix "version 0"]] for [[PDP-7]]
 +
* [[UNIX First Edition|UNIX V1]] - The first version of UNIX that has been recently made to run on the [[PDP-11]]
 +
* [[UNIX Third Edition|UNIX V3]] - The first version with [[pipe]]s
 +
* [[UNIX Fourth Edition|UNIX V4]] - The first version with the [[kernel]] written in [[C programming language|C]]
 +
* [[UNIX Fifth Edition|UNIX V5]] - The first version with complete source and binaries available
 +
* [[UNIX Sixth Edition|UNIX V6]] - The first widely distributed version; the last before branches started to appear
 +
* [[Unix Seventh Edition|Unix V7]] - One of the most complete, and the last generally available and [[PDP-11]] version of Research UNIX
 +
* [[Unix/32V]] - A [[software port|port]] of Seventh Edition to the [[VAX-11/780]]
 +
 
 +
Unix then went commercial and was sold, in a number of releases. (Below is an early ad for AT&T UNIX.)
 +
 
 +
* [[Unix SYSIII]]
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* [[Unix SYSV]]
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* [[Unix SYSVr2]]
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* [[Unix SYSVr3]]
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* [[Unix SYSVr4]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Att842unixcomp.jpg|150px|thumb|left|Unix ad]]
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<br clear=all>
 +
 
 +
== CSRG releases ==
 +
 
 +
Meanwhile the [[Computer Systems Research Group‎]] kept on releasing newer [[BSD]] UNIX's, mostly for the [[VAX]], derived from 32V. These had wide distribution, and tremendous impact; they were a major step in UNIX's road to its current ubiguity.
 +
 
 +
Descended from there are several popular versions:
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.freebsd.org FreeBSD] focuses on providing a system geared towards a single user.
 +
* [http://www.netbsd.org NetBSD] will run on a variety of 32-bit older systems from the VAX to the [[Amiga]].   
 +
* [http://www.openbsd.org OpenBSD] derived from the NetBSD project will run on all kinds of systems.
 +
 
 +
==See also==
 +
 
 +
* [[:Category:Unix OS's|Unix OS's]]
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* [[:Category:Unix-based OS's|Unix-based OS's]]
 +
* [[UNIX file system]]
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* [[BSD Fast File System]]
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
 
 +
* [https://www.tuhs.org/ The Unix Heritage Society]
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** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl The Unix Tree] - Complete source for many early versions of Unix
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* [https://wiki.tuhs.org/doku.php?id=start The Unix Heritage Wiki]
 +
* [https://www.princeton.edu/~hos/Mahoney/unixhistory An Oral History of Unix] - Lengthy interviews with Thompson, Ritchie, McIlroy, etc
 +
* [https://multicians.org/unix.html Unix and Multics]
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 +
===Fun links===
 +
 
 +
* [http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan/upc/ The Unix Power Classic: A book about the Unix Way and its power] - Hacker-oriented version of the Dao De Jing
 +
* [http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/ Rootless Root: The Unix Koans of Master Foo]
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 +
{{Nav Unix}}
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 +
[[Category: Operating Systems]]
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[[Category: UNIX]]

Revision as of 03:55, 27 June 2022


UNIX
Type: Time-sharing
Creator: Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy at Bell Labs
Multitasking: Multi-tasking with swapping/paging (latter added in a later version)
Architecture: Originally PDP-7, then PDP-11; now cross-platform.
Date Released: 1969


Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX® - the documentation switched from using 'UNIX' to 'Unix' as of V7) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy.

Today's Unix systems are split into various branches, developed over time by AT&T as well as various commercial vendors and non-profit organizations. A number of clones of Unix, which share the interfaces, and 'look and feel', but no code, have also been produced; most notably, Linux.

Notable versions

Versions of relevance for hobbyists include (note that 'Version' in early UNIXes refers to the revision of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual'; UNIX didn't really have coordinated distros before about V6):

Unix then went commercial and was sold, in a number of releases. (Below is an early ad for AT&T UNIX.)

Unix ad


CSRG releases

Meanwhile the Computer Systems Research Group‎ kept on releasing newer BSD UNIX's, mostly for the VAX, derived from 32V. These had wide distribution, and tremendous impact; they were a major step in UNIX's road to its current ubiguity.

Descended from there are several popular versions:

  • FreeBSD focuses on providing a system geared towards a single user.
  • NetBSD will run on a variety of 32-bit older systems from the VAX to the Amiga.
  • OpenBSD derived from the NetBSD project will run on all kinds of systems.

See also

External links

Fun links