Unix History

Diagram

You can download a little diagram of Unix history in PostScript A4 [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/unix_a4.ps ] or in PDF A4 [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/unix_a4.pdf ]. If you prefer, you can use the PostScript Letter [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/unix_letter.ps ] format or the PDF Letter [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/unix_letter.pdf ] format.

If you have a plotter you can use this EPS [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/unix.eps ] file, and if you have some problem with it, look here [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/eps2ps.html ].

Below, you can see the preview :

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Click on a page to get a bigger image.

Above is a simplified diagram of unix history. There are numerous derivative systems not listed in this chart, maybe 10 times more! In the recent past, many electronic companies had their own unix releases. For example, my company was selling a unix, derivated from another one, and neither system is in this chart because they were too small. So this diagram is only the tip of an iceberg, with a penguin on it ;-).

Brian Kernighan	Dennis Ritchie	Ken Thompson	Bill Joy	Steve Jobs*	Linus Torvalds	Richard Stallman

Some useful links :

• The Creation of the UNIX Operating System [ http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/ ] from Lucent.
• UNIX Past [ http://www.unix-systems.org/what_is_unix/history_timeline.html ] from The Open Group.
• The Unix Heritage Society [ http://minnie.tuhs.org/TUHS/ ] by Warren Toomey.
• FreeBSD Release Information [ http://www.freebsd.org/releases/index.html ] from FreeBSD.
• BSD History Chart [ http://www.de.freebsd.org/de/ftp/unix-stammbaum ] from FreeBSD.
• Formal NetBSD Releases [ http://www.netbsd.org/Releases/formal.html ] from NetBSD.
• Darwin/Mac OS X: The Fifth BSD [ http://www.applelust.com/alust/terminal/archives/terminal041202.shtml ] from Applelust.
• Sun History [ http://www.sun.com/corporateoverview/who/history.html ] from SUN.
• The Story Behind the Solaris Operating Environment [ http://www.sun.com/software/cover/2001-1106/ ] from SUN.
• HP-UX History [ http://www.software.hp.com/HPUX-RDMP/history/slide2.html ] from HP.
• Unix and Multics [ http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/~sh392/multics/unix.html ] by Tom Van Vleck.
• Unix Start [ http://virtual.park.uga.edu/hc/unixhistory.html ] from the University of Georgia.
• Linux Kernel Archives [ http://www.kernel.org/ ] and Linux HeadQuarters [ http://www.linuxhq.com/ ].
• 20 Years of Berkeley Unix [ http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/opensources/book/kirkmck.html ] by Marshall Kirk McKusick.
• Operating System Technical Comparison [ http://www.osdata.com/ ] from Milo.
• Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers [ http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/ ] by Ken Polsson.
  
  
• Histoire de l'informatique : [ Unix http://histoire.info.free.fr/unix.html ] (in french) by Serge Rossi.

• Computer Languages History [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/lang/ ].
• Unix Hierarchy [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/guru.html ] (an old paper).
• NeXT History [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/NeXTSTEP/ ] (in french).
• Windows History [ http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/windows/ ].

* You may be wondering "Why does Steve Jobs appear in this unix history?". Simply because he has made the best unix computer ever : a NeXTcube powered with NeXTSTEP operating system. And now : Mac OS X [ http://www.apple.com/macosx/ ].

Last update : june 1, 2002

Copyright 2002 http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/