Unix (Unics)

Unix originated from AT&T Bell labs to be used as a programmers workbench to develop software before it became a program in its own rite. It was a multi-tasking multi-user operating system (OS). It originated from MULTICS that was developed in collaboration with MIT but became too complex. A smaller version was developed under the name UNICS then renamed Unix.

The computer it was initially designed to run on was the DEC PDP11/12, written in assembly language. This was then updated and written in ‘C’ a feat that was thought couldn’t be done due to assembly being more time efficient. This made Unix portable as written in C it could be compiled to run on other systems.

As AT&T couldn’t enter the computer industry due to an Anti-trust treaty of the telephone industry, anyone who wanted the program would have to be given it. To get around giving away the program for free it would issue licenses for corporate companies and Universities. The license fee was small for Universities so became popular. ARPA became very interested in Unix to run on its network (this became an internetwork).

Berkley University in California further developed Unix in parallel with AT&T with BSD Unix. When AT&T and Bell labs were broke up under another antitrust treaty, AT&T were now able to enter the computer market but as the license fees increased more companies used the BSD version of Unix.

Before the micro computer market appeared, Unix was expected to be the number one OS, AT&T made great improvements in the program and then collaborated with Sun and BSD to create a newer version called System V release. Trusted versions of Unix from the likes of DEC were used by the Military because of its high security.

Other Unix like programs were developed, the most notable being LINUX developed by a Swedish student Linus Torvalds as a project. This was made free and updates were continually made by programmers to run on their brand of computer.

The pronunciation of linux can be heard from the creator at the link below

Linux http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Linus-linux.ogg

Linux is used in embedded circuits, the newest on being the Raspberry pi. It is also found in the Android system where it uses the linux kernel. Almost all circuits that use an operating system use some sort of linux based operating system.

As for Unix, if it didn’t exist DARPA wouldn’t have pushed its ARPAnet so far. Otherwise you might not be accessing and reading this blog. 

The Unix family tree http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unix_history-simple.svg

http://www.unix.org/what_is_unix/history_timeline.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix

Peter

Blog #3