What is UNIX?

[Thomas Schler_1]

Hi

operating system names often are abbreviations of something else.

So, does anybody know, what "UNIX" stands for?

[Graham Cameron_1 · Accepted solution]

Doesn't stand for anything.

It evolved from multics, which was Multiplexed Information and Computing Service

http://www.multicians.org/

Plenty more history out there...

http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/

-- Graham

[Mark Grant]

Multics was the "first" multi tasking operating system. Legend has it that when "unix" was born, as it was largely written by one person it was called "unix". This is probably not really accurate.

[John Poff]

Hi,

To follow up on Graham's post, I believe I remember reading that it was originally spelled UNICS, as a derivative of MULTICS, but somewhere early on it got changed to UNIX.

JP

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi,

Uniplexed Information and Computing System ---> UNICS ---> UNIX

Regards,

Robert-Jan.

[Umapathy S]

Robert-Jan is correct. Multics was a collaboration by many companies (GE, ATT..). The name UNICS was given since it was done by ATT alone (the research lab). Brian Kerninghan named it as UNIX intended as a pun on the word UNICS.

You can refer to any decent unix book.

HTH,
Umapathy

[Mark Greene_1]

Brian Kernighan is credited with coming up with the name.

See here for more info about him:

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

mark

[Jean-Luc Oudart]

back to the history to Unix

(related to MULTICS in some way)

http://www.dei.isep.ipp.pt/docs/unix-Part_I.html

Rgds,
JL

[Jean-Luc Oudart]

You may want to read this too.

http://www.hillside.co.uk/articles/cult.html

Rgds,
Jean-Luc