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author | mms <michal@sapka.me> | 2024-06-10 22:58:55 +0200 |
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committer | mms <michal@sapka.me> | 2024-06-10 22:58:55 +0200 |
commit | 316cbea18afd0b630c0b8ab7b6c7820a6b41afd0 (patch) | |
tree | 383185af8945cb6b8755dbb5fb0d594eb6d12684 /content-org/unix-history.org | |
parent | f48df3b013aebdf6ea5c131f84f7cd8bcac6c4a2 (diff) |
fixes
Diffstat (limited to 'content-org/unix-history.org')
-rw-r--r-- | content-org/unix-history.org | 53 |
1 files changed, 28 insertions, 25 deletions
diff --git a/content-org/unix-history.org b/content-org/unix-history.org index cd74266..146af5a 100644 --- a/content-org/unix-history.org +++ b/content-org/unix-history.org @@ -22,19 +22,16 @@ CLOSED: [2024-05-30 Sat 21:03] :EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :shortname History of Unix :EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu bsd :EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info image +:EXPORT_HUGO_LASTMOD: 2024-06-10 :END: To say that the history of Unix is long and convoluted would be a huge understatement. -It started its life as a gaming OS dressed as typesetting one in a forgotten alley in an research center, but soon became the most important idea in modern computing history. -No other OS had such broad impact on how we work with computers. And despite that, it's mostly a forgotten name. -It lives in it's ideas and licenses, but very rarely do we think about running Unix. - -This site is a fang, and a love letter to computer history. -To the brilliant minds and sleazy lawyers. -To the original, the followers, and imitators. +It started its life as a gaming OS dressed as a typesetting one in a forgotten alley in a research center but soon became the most important idea in modern computing history. +No other OS had such a broad impact on how we work with computers. And despite that, it's mostly a forgotten name. +It lives in its ideas and licenses, but very rarely do we think about running Unix. #+attr_shortcode: :file header-transparent.png -#+attr_shortcode: :alt A group of characters in the style of Unix Surralism. +#+attr_shortcode: :alt A group of characters from Unix Surrealism. #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image noop @@ -53,9 +50,12 @@ Dune - [[http://wovenmemories.net/][Jeff]], for proofreading Part III - [[https://www.analognowhere.com/][Tomáš]], for providing artwork on homepage - [[https://static-dust.klpn.se/][Karl Pettersson]], for pointing date errors about IX/386 and Xenix in Part III +- [[https://github.com/davemq][Dave Marquardt]], for pointing grammar errors in Part III and informing me about existence of Piramid Technologies + *** Changes +- /2024-06-10/: Added artwork; fixes in Part 3 - /2024-06-09/: Date fixes (IX/386 Xenix) in Part 3 - /2024-06-08/: First release of Part 3 - /2024-05-30/: Extract into self-contained website @@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ This led to the creation of /time-sharing/. #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of old computer room full of tape drives. The primary color is red. #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -IBM 360 in an official photoshoot. +Fig. 1.1. IBM 360 in an official photoshoot. #+end_image This concept seems natural now: multiple processes were able to share computer resources, so multiple applications could run at the same time. @@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ It was used extensively for land-line telephony, where all signals were transfer #+attr_shortcode: :alt Black and white photo of a group of man standing next to a mechanical computer #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -EDSAC, the "first computer". +Fig. 1.2. EDSAC, the "first computer". #+end_image **** Multics @@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ It was delivered late, early on had performance problems, and in 1969 /Bell Labs #+attr_shortcode: :alt Screenshot of SSH connection with big Multics written in ASCII #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Multics login screen. +Fig. 1.3. Multics login screen. #+end_image #+attr_shortcode: :file thompson-ritchie.jpg @@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Multics login screen. #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of two white, bearded men. They are both wearing thick glasses. The person on the left is wearing gray-blue polo shirt. The person on the right is wearing a red tshift with big X and Bell Labs Sensitive text in center #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie. +Fig. 1.4. Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie. #+end_image Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna, frustrated with their experiences with /Multics/ Operating System are starting to work on their own alternative. @@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ The team armed with previous experience set up to create simple, manageable OS t Currently, however, they have problems convincing /Bell Labs/ management to get them a new computer. This has not stopped them from designing the system on black blackboards and paper. - + ** DONE History of Unix part II: Birth of Unix CLOSED: [2024-03-16 Sat 21:00] :PROPERTIES: @@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ If the user wanted to see what the edited document looked like, the only way to Try to print a page every few lines - let alone every character. Even the bravest of the brave would not escape the anger of the finance department. -**** TODO Getting a computer +**** Getting a computer After this short intermission, let's return to /UNIX/. @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ Luckily, he was able to find a discarded PDP-7 from another department[fn:hidden #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of black screen with lines representing rudimentay space ship viewscreen #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Space Travel +Fig. 2.1. Space Travel #+end_image What the PDP-7 was, was a refrigerator size 18bit monstrosity[fn:hiddenunix]. @@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ It won't be easy nor cheap, but definitely possible. #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of a big, old computer the size of a wardrobe. The dominating color is teal. #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -PDP-7 +Fig. 2.2. PDP-7 #+end_image #+attr_shortcode: :file thompson-ritchie-pdp11.jpg @@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ PDP-7 #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of two white men. One is standing over and talking the other. The other is sitting in front of a teletype. #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie working on the legendary PDP-11. +Fig. 2.3. Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie working on the legendary PDP-11. #+end_image **** Unix 1 @@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ and a year later Ken and Dennis publish the first paper on /UNIX/ - "The UNIX Ti #+attr_shortcode: :alt Photo of front and back cover of an orange book with The Unix System written in the center; Above it a text states AT&T Bell Laboratories Technical Jurnal #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Bell System Technical Journal cover. +Fig. 2.4. Bell System Technical Journal cover. #+end_image The word was out and /UNIX/ became known outside of /Bell Labs/. @@ -309,9 +309,9 @@ CLOSED: [2024-06-08 Sat 14:43] :EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu unix-history :name "3. Forks and Wars" :EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c image :EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :primary_menu "unix-history" +:EXPORT_HUGO_LASTMOD: 2024-06-10 :END: - This resulted in a very particualar situation. Different organizations came into possesion of a /great/ operating system with which they were able to do whatever they pleased. The original creators, AT&T were unable to sell the software. @@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ This version of Unix evolved into /Columbus Unix/ (/CB-Unix/), as the /SCCS Unix #+attr_shortcode: :alt Two red books containing Volume 1 and 2 of Programmers Manuals for CB Unix #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Programmers Manuals for CB Unix +Fig. 3.1. Programmers Manuals for CB Unix #+end_image In a completely different part of Bell Labs, another project was starting to use /Unix/. @@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ We will get back to that, but it is what sounds like: AT&T is earning money from The work conducted at Universities of Sydney and New South Wales focused on allowing the system to run with huge number of users[fn:ausantuhs]. The changes returned to /Unix V7/, but /AUSAM/ was never upgraded to a full 7th ed[fn:hiddenunix] -In 1975, Ken Thompson took a sabbatical and took a teaching job at Berkeley University, where he helped install Version 6 of /Unix/. +In 1975, Ken Thompson took a sabbatical and took a teaching job at the University of California at Berkeley, where he helped install Version 6 of /Unix/. The OS received quite the attention of students and faculty, resulting in the first version of /BSD Unix/ - /1BSD/. The lineage of BSD is extensive (not to mention their descendants are what I use) and will be a subject of the next part of our story. For now, remember that /BSD/ exists. @@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ Nothing of this mattered in the death march of Windows, and the last version was #+attr_shortcode: :alt Cover of Unix World from 1985 showing Bill Gates with "Bill Gates on the future of Xenix" feature #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -What an issue that was! +Fig. 3.2. What an issue that was! #+end_image *** AT&T Strikes Back @@ -461,6 +461,8 @@ AT&T had all the money and name to crush anyone but did not support networking. BSD had a TCP/IP based networking and was popular among st universities. Vendor were choosing sides - IBM and HP went with /System V/ while others, like Sun choose /BSD/. +Some were trying to get it both ways - Pyramid's OSx supported syscalls of both, BSD and System V[fn:piramidwiki]. + On 27th of March, 1984 AT&T officially enters computer market with their own line of computers from desktops PCs to "super-microcomputers" powered by /Unix/[fn:ytchronicle]. #+attr_shortcode: :file att-unix-pc.jpg @@ -468,7 +470,7 @@ On 27th of March, 1984 AT&T officially enters computer market with their own lin #+attr_shortcode: :alt An print ad for AT&T Unix PC showing the computer and listing features #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Introducing the AT&T Unix PC. +Fig. 3.3. Introducing the AT&T Unix PC. #+end_image #+attr_shortcode: :file mt-xinu.png @@ -476,7 +478,7 @@ Introducing the AT&T Unix PC. #+attr_shortcode: :alt A drawing of an space ship flying of a planet looking like System V logo. On top text 4.2 > V can be seen. #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -Mt Xinu poster shows the atmosphere of those days . +Fig. 3.4. Mt Xinu poster shows the atmosphere of those days . #+end_image *** BSD on the verge @@ -580,7 +582,7 @@ The value was lost, the /Unix/ wars saw the rise of Microsoft and a new player - #+attr_shortcode: :alt Screenshot of an Unix system running Common Desktop Environment #+attr_shortcode: :class centered #+begin_image -One of the great achievements of The Open Group was Common Desktop Environment +Fig. 3.5. One of the great achievements of The Open Group was Common Desktop Environment #+end_image The trademark of /Unix/ resides now with /The Open Group/ which is responsible for certification of products. @@ -607,6 +609,7 @@ It's quite expensive, so now we have two types of OSes in our lineage: Unix (wit [fn:virt] Yes, virtualization is not a new idea as it dates back to the 60s when IBM designed the System/360 to emulate other devices, like the 1401. [fn:386] [[https://winworldpc.com/product/pc-ix/10][IX/386]] on WinWorld [fn:xenixneowin] [[https://www.neowin.net/news/a-quick-look-back-at-microsofts-first-computer-operating-system-xenix/][Xenix]] on Neowin +[fn:piramidwiki] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_Technology][Piramid Technology]] on Wikipedia * Other https://minnie.tuhs.org/Seminars/AUUG96/pdppaper.html |