[Info-vax] OT: Elephants Can't Dance

[Richard B. Gilbert]

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> In article <49c6e55f$0$90276$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>,
> 	Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> writes:
>> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>> In article <49b71a37$0$90263$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>,
>>> 	Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> writes:
>>>> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>>> In article <49b5d07b$0$90267$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>,
>>>>> 	Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> writes:
>>>>>>                                     - there are plenty
>>>>>> of open source operating systems out there,     
>>>>> Name one serious OS that is open source that is not just another flavor
>>>>> of Unix.
>>>> I can not think of any.
>>> So then, there really aren't "plenty of open source operating systems
>>> out there", are there.  Just one really.
>> No.
>>
>> Unix and Unix-like operating systems is not one operating system.
> 
> For all intents and purposes, yes, they are.  All of them but two trace
> their origins back to real Unix (but not being willing to pony up the
> money for certification can not claim that name)  the other two had as
> one of their primary driving elements to be as close to Unix as possible
> without invoking the wrath of AT&T.  Any major differences in functionality
> can be traced to accident or the implementors lack of ability.
> 
>>>> But what so. Unix roots does not seem to scare away users.
>>> Why should it?  Contrary to the warped vision of the IT industry found
>>> here, there really is nothing wrong with Unix.  It has survived and moved
>>> forward quite nicely over the last 3 decades while many of its competitors
>>> fell by the wayside.
>> Surprisingly - yes.
> 
> Why "Surprisingly"?  Or are you one of those people who think there was no
> design in Unix and it was just something a couple of hackers thrrew together
> in a back room?  

Unix was EXACTLY that.  K&R threw together the beginnings of Unix in 
order to gain the advantages of an operating system where there was 
none!  It was used at Bell Labs for a while before someone sent a tape 
to Berkeley and history began!

I wonder if the original source was preserved anywhere?

>People (especially here) seem to forget that Unix had real
> users from the very beginning.  Ritchie & Co. had to share the original
> PDP-11 they developed Unix on with people doing real work while they were
> doing that development.
> 
> bill
>