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author | mms <michal@sapka.me> | 2024-05-28 22:54:14 +0200 |
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committer | mms <michal@sapka.me> | 2024-05-28 22:54:14 +0200 |
commit | 12b576d58e143b0eabdcb2fde6ec08afa7485878 (patch) | |
tree | 116ecf34709fba44ca7dc7191c55d7a0a63c646e /content/bsd | |
parent | 5ed3c0a18535270e0dd9a1afa6b120f486203562 (diff) |
feat: unix hist as single art
Diffstat (limited to 'content/bsd')
-rw-r--r-- | content/bsd/history/01_multics.md | 81 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | content/bsd/history/02_unix.md | 136 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | content/bsd/history/_index.md | 27 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | content/bsd/history/index.md | 24 |
4 files changed, 0 insertions, 268 deletions
diff --git a/content/bsd/history/01_multics.md b/content/bsd/history/01_multics.md deleted file mode 100644 index ff10f17..0000000 --- a/content/bsd/history/01_multics.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,81 +0,0 @@ -+++ -title = "History of BSD part I: Multics" -author = ["Michał Sapka"] -date = 2024-03-09T21:03:00+01:00 -categories = ["bsd"] -draft = false -weight = 2001 -primary_menu = "bsd-history" -abstract = "BSD history starts with Multics" -shortname = "Part I: Multics" -[menu] - [menu.bsd-history] - weight = 2001 - identifier = "history-of-bsd-part-i-multics" - name = "Multics" -+++ - -## Origins of time-sharing {#origins-of-time-sharing} - -Let's start our journey back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, engineers wore ties, and Barbie was first gaining popularity - the 60s. -Nowadays, we have grown accustom to companies selling devices at lower profit margins - with most profit coming from software subscriptions. -But 70 years ago it was the complete opposite. -Companies bought expensive computers, huge machines, and what was running on them was of lesser value. -And I really mean _expensive_. -An IBM System/360 Model 20, presented in 1964, could have been bought starting from USD 62,710 (USD 622,626 adjusted for inflation) or rented for USD 1280 (USD 12,708 adjusted)[^fn:1]. -Sellers earned a lot from the devices. -But, naturally, companies making all those investments wanted a nice return. -This led to the creation of _time-sharing_. - -{{< img-c "ibm-360.jpg" "https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/5-reasons-love-mad-mens-new-star-ibm-360-n101716" >}} -IBM 360 in an official photoshoot. -{{< /img-c >}} - -This concept seems natural now: multiple processes were able to share computer resources, so multiple applications could run at the same time. -Applications could even run for different users. -Ergo, time-sharing allowed for multi-user multitask processing. -This is in stark contrast to batch-processing, where only a single program would be able to compute at any particular time. -An example of such processing would be EDSAC, the first electronic computer[^fn:2]. -I won't go into detail of time-sharing, but you can read more in "Time sharing in large computers", C. Strachey, 1959. -But what is important here is how it was used. -All computation happened on a single, large server. -End users would use _computer terminals_ which were _multiplexed_ into that server, called a _mainframe_. -What is multiplexing you ask? -Simply said, it's a way to combine different signals into a shared medium. -It was used extensively for land-line telephony, where all signals were transferred over shared wires. - -{{< img-c "edsac.jpg" "https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/analysis/rebuilding-edsac-the-first-real-computer/" >}} -EDSAC, the "first computer". -{{< /img-c >}} - - -## Multics {#multics} - -Let's jump to 1969. - -_Multics (MULTiplexed Information and Computing)_ was an early time-sharing operating system developed by _MIT_, _General Electrics_ and _Bell Labs_. -It pioneered many of innovations which are still widely used in the computing systems of today: hierarchical file system, redirection as interprocess communication, or the existence of a shell[^fn:3], as well as memory pages, memory protection, or the ability for a single machine to use multiple CPUs and memory[^fn:4]. -It was however also huge, both in terms of memory usage (the resident kernel could occupy a huge part of memory living not enough for applications) and code size (it consisted of about 1,5k source modules)[^fn:3]. -_Multics_ was experimental and therefore ambitious, complex - designed by trial and error. -It was delivered late, early on had performance problems, and in 1969 _Bell Labs_ withrew from the project[^fn:5]. - -{{< img-c "multics-login.png" "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics#/media/File:Multics-Login.png" >}} -Multics login screen. -{{< /img-c >}} - -{{< img-c "thompson-ritchie.jpg" "https://computerhistory.org/blog/discovering-dennis-ritchies-lost-dissertation/" >}} -Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie. -{{< /img-c >}} - -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. -Their work will become one of the most beloved computer products of all time - _UNIX_. -The team armed with previous experience set up to create simple, manageable OS that would still fulfill all the requirements _Multics_ was to fulfill. - -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. - -[^fn:1]: [IBM 360 Model 20 Rescue and Restoration: Machine Overview](https://ibms360.co.uk/?p=902) -[^fn:2]: [First Operating System -- Part One](http://blog.wovenmemories.net/2023/10/30/First.Operating.System_Part.1.html) -[^fn:3]: [Multics --- {W}ikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multics) -[^fn:4]: [Mark Allen - Before Unix: An Early History of Timesharing Systems](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYb6WqWBTE0) -[^fn:5]: [The early days of Unix at Bell Labs - Brian Kernighan (LCA 2022 Online)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECCr_KFl41E) diff --git a/content/bsd/history/02_unix.md b/content/bsd/history/02_unix.md deleted file mode 100644 index f8243fd..0000000 --- a/content/bsd/history/02_unix.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,136 +0,0 @@ -+++ -title = "History of BSD part II: Unix" -author = ["Michał Sapka"] -date = 2024-03-16T21:00:00+01:00 -categories = ["bsd"] -draft = false -weight = 2002 -primary_menu = "bsd-history" -abstract = "How Unix came to be?" -shortname = "Part II: Unix" -[menu] - [menu.bsd-history] - weight = 2002 - identifier = "history-of-bsd-part-ii-unix" - name = "Unix" -+++ - -## Bell Labs {#bell-labs} - -Let's pause here and discuss a few things. - -_Bell Labs_ was a research institute founded by no other, but the famous Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. -It is known as one of the most innovative places ever conceived. -It was the birthplace of radio astronomy, the transistor, the laser, the photovoltaic cell, the charge-coupled device (CCD), information theory, and the programming languages B, C, C++, S, SNOBOL, AWK, AMPL, and the UNIX operating system. -The work completed there was awarded 10 times with a Nobel Prize[^fn:1]. - -But it wasn't all pretty. -AT&T (owner of the lab) was _the_ telephone company in the USA. -It had the _de facto_ monopoly for most of the 20th century. -This led to a consent decree with US Government under which AT&T was forbidden to branch out to other markets. -This agreement happened in 1956 and will be very important for our story[^fn:2]. - -Another cool tidbit: back then computer screens as we know them now were yet to be invented. -There were ways for computer to present information on a screen, but it was not feasable to present information back to the user in real time. -The monitor was a separate machine and an _assembly_ code to light up individual pixels would need to be sent every time to it. -If the user wanted to see what the edited document looked like, the only way to achieve that was via a printer. -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. - - -## Getting a computer {#getting-a-computer} - -After this short intermission, let's return to _UNIX_. - -The popular history of _UNIX_ goes as follows: -Ken Thompson finds a PDP-7 microcomputer, starts playing with it and suddenly realizes that he has created a new operating system. - -What he actually wanted to do, was to play a damn game. -A completely reasonable reason to revolutionize the industry if you ask me. - -Ken was a huge fan of _Space Travel_, but it was only available on mainframes. -And since those costed an arm and a leg, end users were paying for time they used. -A single game of _Space Travel_ could cost Ken USD 50-75[^fn:3]. -Luckily, he was able to find a discarded PDP-7 from another department[^fn:2]. - -{{< img-c "space-travel.png" "https://www.uvlist.net/game-164857-Space+Travel" >}} -Space Travel -{{< /img-c >}} - -What the PDP-7 was, was a refrigerator size 18bit monstrosity[^fn:2]. -It was at the time a 5-year-old and obsolete[^fn:4] leftover from an ended research into audio-psychology. -No one cared what would happen to this particular machine. -Have I mentioned just how stinky rich the _Bell Lab_ was? -So, Ken started rewriting the game for that PDP-7 as _GECOS Space Travel_. - -Porting the game proved challenging and difficult to debug, so they developed a system for PDP-7 to make developing the game easier. -This was how _PDP UNIX_ was born[^fn:5]. -A guy wanted to play a god-damn game and now bankrupt in the process[^fn:2] - -Labs management was very happy with this turn of events as _UNIX_ was something to show after the _Multics_ fiasco. -They allowed Ken to get himself a _PDP-11_ and port _UNIX_ to it. -It was a cheaper machine compared to _PDP-7_, but it was also 16bit - which was a nice change. -Officially, the new system would allow for document preparation for patent applications[^fn:4]. -The biggest benefit however was the popularity of this machine - over the next decades it could be seen everywhere across enterprise America. -You can buy a working one from _eBay_ today. -It won't be easy nor cheap, but definitely possible. - -{{< img-c "pdp-7.jpeg" "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-7#/media/File:Pdp7-oslo-2005.jpeg" >}} -PDP-7 -{{< /img-c >}} - -{{< img-c "thompson-ritchie-pdp11.jpg" "https://www.bell-labs.com/institute/blog/invention-unix/" >}} -Ken Thompson and Denis Ritchie working on the legendary PDP-11. -{{< /img-c >}} - - -## Unix 1 {#unix-1} - -So here we are, November 1971, and _UNIX 1_ for _PDP-11_ is released[^fn:6] - -A year later Ken notes: - -> -> -> [...]the number of UNIX installations has grown to 10, with -> more expected. None of these has exactly the same complement of -> hardware or software. Therefore, at any particular installation, -> it is quite possible that this manual will give inappropriate -> information. [...] Also, not all installations have the latest versions of all the software.'' -> -> -- Unix Programmers Manual, Second Edition. Thompson Ken, Ritchie Denis, 1972 - -Note, that this is 10 mainframes across _Bell Labs_, so user count was significantly higher. - -It's also worth to talk about release cycle. -UNIX was in constant development, and each installation would use current snapshot at the moment of installation. -This is why Ken notes that each part of _UNIX_ could differ between installations. -What is also important is that due to licensing of _UNIX_ (or rather lack of thereof), each installation would be accompanied by full source code. -Administrators were able to modify the system. -Crazy times. - -Still, in June 1972 the 2nd Edition of _UNIX_ was released and every 7–8 months a new release was out. - -In November 1973, a 4th Edition was released, and it was the first one released to Universities. -It made quite the buzz, and first user groups started forming under the _USENIX_ name[^fn:2]. -It's worth to mention that this version was rewritten in C, as previous versions which were created in Assembly -This made it the first portable _UNIX_, as it could be recompiled to any compared, as long as it also had a C compiler[^fn:4]. - -The system was presented by Ken and Denis during the _4th Symposium on Operating System Principles_ the same year, -and a year later Ken and Dennis publish the first paper on _UNIX_ - "The UNIX Time-Sharing System" in the _Communications_ journal of ACM. - -{{< img-c "unix-tech-journal.jpg" "https://leancrew.com/all-this/2011/10/dennis-ritchie-unix-and-clarity/" >}} -Bell System Technical Journal cover. -{{< /img-c >}} - -The word was out and _UNIX_ became known outside of _Bell Labs_. - -In the next episode of History of BSD: the scariest creature of them all. -Lawyers. - -[^fn:1]: [Bell Labs --- {W}ikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs) -[^fn:2]: [The hidden early history of unix the forgotten history of early unix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuzeagzqwrs) -[^fn:3]: [UVL](https://www.uvlist.net/game-164857-Space+Travel) -[^fn:4]: [The early days of Unix at Bell Labs - Brian Kernighan (LCA 2022 Online)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECCr_KFl41E) -[^fn:5]: [Living Computer Museum](https://livingcomputers.org/Blog/Restoring-UNIX-v0-on-a-PDP-7-A-look-behind-the-sce.aspx) has a real PDP-7 running _PDP Unix_ if want to chek it. -[^fn:6]: The 50th anniversary of this event was very big for a small group of fans. diff --git a/content/bsd/history/_index.md b/content/bsd/history/_index.md deleted file mode 100644 index 35050c4..0000000 --- a/content/bsd/history/_index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,27 +0,0 @@ -+++ -title = "History of BSD and Unix" -author = ["Michał Sapka"] -date = 2024-04-08T09:37:00+02:00 -draft = false -weight = 2001 -primary_menu = "bsd" -abstract = "the long and turbolent history" -[menu] - [menu.bsd] - weight = 2001 - identifier = "history-of-bsd-and-unix" - post = " from Multics to OpenBSD" -+++ - -Does computer history have any real appliance? -Not really. -Does it explain certain, potentially baffling things? Certainly. -But does it make great beer talk? -Absolutely! -Especially when discussing systems with such rich history as BSD. -I will be gentle here, I promise. -No _Hardcore History_ in sight. - -{{< menu "bsd-history" >}} -History of BSD -{{< /menu >}} diff --git a/content/bsd/history/index.md b/content/bsd/history/index.md deleted file mode 100644 index bad4e2d..0000000 --- a/content/bsd/history/index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,24 +0,0 @@ -+++ -title = "History of BSD and Unix" -author = ["Michał Sapka"] -date = 2024-04-08T09:37:00+02:00 -categories = ["bsd"] -draft = false -weight = 2001 -hasNavSection = "bsd-history abstract BSD history starts with Multics" -+++ - -Does computer history have any real appliance? -Not really. -Does it explain certain, potentially baffling things? Certainly. -But does it make great beer talk? -Absolutely! -Especially when discussing systems with such rich history as BSD. -I will be gentle here, I promise. -No _Hardcore History_ in sight. - -<menu> - -History of BSD - -</menu> |