Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX

Got a 3rd computer, gonna start with Linux

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MikeU:
It's not fair to state that BSD is based on UNIX. BSD and AT&T/Bell Labs version of UNIX were worked on in parallel. Some things that were originally made at Berkeley got integrated into the "official" UNIX and visa versa. The history of a lot of the different flavors of UNIX are intertwined, so saying one is based on the other is not fair.

According to Linus Torvalds' Biography "Just for FUN," (2001) Linus based Linux on the POSIX standard from nearly the begining. And if I remember correctly, he couldn't get official POSIX standard documentation, so he used a Sun MicroSystems manual as a model. So stating that Linux was based on Minix is just untrue. He made Linux because he was unsatisfied with Minix. Plus, the source code for Minix was already available, he could have just copied it, if he wanted it to be based on Minix.

I did some papers on both the Free Software movement, and Linus Torvalds this term.   )
So this stuff is still fresh in my mind.

Mike U

voidmain:
BSD didn't fork off until the very late 70's around 10 years after Ken Thompson created UNIX at Bell Labs. And GNU/Linux has many BSD like features, along with AT&T like features. The thing I like about GNU/Linux is that it is written by a wide range of people very experienced in UNIX, BSD, and other UNIX like operating systems. It has incorporated many of the good features of the others, plus some of it's own where the others lack. It can be set up to be very BSD like or System V like (init, printing, etc). Of course BSD has a similar story as far as programmer experience. And certainly GNU/Linux has to give great credit to UNIX, BSD, MINIX, Solaris, and even Windows to be what it is today and what it will surely become.

As far as I'm concerned, right or wrong, UNIX today is (or should be) a general term that would include all UNIX Like OSs. It would sure make life much simpler, and maybe there would be more cooperation between the variants rather than the territorial type of behavior often exhibited. I would like to think, and find it to be the case, that if you know one of the UNIX like OSs very well, the others take very little time to learn. Every one of them are far more advanced than the original UNIX. I seriously doubt there is a single line of the original UNIX in any OS used today. The thing that I don't understand is why it has to be such a big deal? They're all good.

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

Calum:
that's a good point about being "based on" something else though, there i was being pedantic about the difference between unix and unix-like and i totally failed to be pedantic (or reasonably accurate!) about who did what first.

True, linux was not based on minix, but it ws developed because of Linus Torvalds' annoyance with minix not being developed any further than as an educational tool, as you say.

Also, yes, I am reading about the history of Unix/Berkeley at the moment and it does look like a lot of institutions had bright sparks that all contributed ideas to the official unix OS, based on their own customisations on their own systems...

Finally, wouldn't it be cool to play around on a real AT&T Unix system? (and wouldn't it be cool to own an old valve computer? sorry, taking things a little too far!) i bet it was a whole different ball game...

voidmain:

quote:Originally posted by Calum:
Finally, wouldn't it be cool to play around on a real AT&T Unix system? (and wouldn't it be cool to own an old valve computer? sorry, taking things a little too far!) i bet it was a whole different ball game...
--- End quote ---


Uh, my first UNIX job was on a 3B2 running an earlier version of AT&T UNIX.  I would rather not go back there, and it certainly wasn't one of the earliest versions by any stretch of the imagination.  It would be sort of like going back to pre-windows DOS 1 for those that only have M$ experience.

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

Calum:
i bet it was a hair tearer, but still, think of the retro chic of having a "legacy" system like that in your home!!!

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