UNIX Family Tree?
Alan S. Watt
swatt at ittvax.UUCP
Fri Jan 6 02:28:19 AEST 1984
This was written in early 1981 as an appendix of a document to assist
users in the transition from INteractive Systems Corporation IS/1 VAX
Workbench(tm) to Berkley 4BSD. It is somewhat out of date, and never
intended to be accurate as much as amusing. Enjoy.
- Alan S. Watt
Copyright (c) 1981, All rights reserved, and all that.
Appendix B - UNIX Geneology
These are the generations of UNIX and all their progeny.
The first generations of UNIX lived in the darkness of Bell
Laboratories and did not see the light of Commercial Exploita-
tion, for the yoke of a Consent Decree lay heavily on the Labora-
tories, and they feared the might of the Department of Justice
whose Division of Antitrusts wielded the awesome Taft-Hartley
Act.
Later when their fear had subsided, Ken Thompson and Dennis
Ritchie of the brotherhood of Bell Laboratories brought forth
V6/UNIX, and V6/UNIX lived in the land of PDP-11. While not per-
fect in the eyes of all, it was a lot better than anything DEC
could offer. Though V6/UNIX prospered among Universities and
other Freebies, it was shunned by Commercial Users for it was
Unsupported, Nonstandard, cost Alottabread, and ran not BASIC.
Then V6/UNIX begat PWB (Programmer's Workbench) UNIX, and
PWB/UNIX also lived in the land of PDP-11. And although PWB/UNIX
also prospered many still shunned it for it also was Unsupported,
Nonstandard, cost Alottabread, and ran not BASIC.
Then V6/UNIX begat V7/UNIX and V7/UNIX travelled away from the
land of PDP-11, visiting the lands of Z8000, Interdata 8/32,
M68000, and others, even the distant and forbidding kingdom of
IBM. For these travels, V7/UNIX was awarded the Order of Porta-
bility.
These were the progeny of V6/UNIX. And with the advent of V7,
V6/UNIX passed from the sight of Bell Laboratories, though it
lives on in many sites in the land of PDP-11. In all, its days
numbered 5 years.
Then Interactive Systems Corporation clove unto PWB/UNIX and
brought forth IS1 Workbench, which also lived in the land of
PDP-11. IS1 Workbench later visited the land of VAX and lived
there as a neighbor of VMS, but the two were always jealous of
each other and there was no harmony between them. In spite of
this Commercial Users began to desire UNIX for now it was Sup-
ported, though it was still Nonstandard, cost Evenmorebread, and
ran not BASIC.
These were the progeny of PWB/UNIX.
When V7/UNIX appeared, Vendors of Microcomputers began to say to
themselves: "Wherefore should we roll our own? The tariff we
must pay to the Systems Programmers Guild is higher each year.
And when they are done, they leave us a heavy Burden of Support
and the Gripes of Users fill our days with vexation instead of
the Easy Profits we desire. Let us therefore go unto Bell
Laboratories and make obesiance that we might have UNIX." And
this they did in great number, bringing forth ONIX, and XENIX,
and Uni-FLEX, and Look-Alikes beyond counting.
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Appendix B - UNIX Geneology
And came forth many Software Houses who said: "We will support
UNIX and we will train your users and we will rid the system of
Bugs. And we will enter into covenants with you to guarantee
this and thereby will you be relieved of worry and we will rake
in Lotsabucks."
And thus did V7/UNIX prosper even with Commercial Users for it
was now Supported and Standard, though it still cost Alottabread,
and ran not BASIC.
And V7/UNIX came at last to the land of VAX and cast out VMS,
which had been put there by the Lords of DEC. And with the
posession of the land of VAX, V7/UNIX became V32/UNIX.
And lo, unto V32/UNIX in the land of VAX came the lords of Berke-
ley bearing many fine gifts. They brought a paging algorithm,
that the Plague of Swapping might be overcome. They brought new
Compilers, and V32/UNIX began to speak in the toungues of LISP,
PASCAL, and APL. And many other fine gifts did they bestow. In
honor of the Lords of Berkeley, V32/UNIX thenceforth took the
name VM/UNIX.
And these are the progeny of V7/UNIX whose days so far number 2
years.
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