History of Unix   Term Paper ID:39890 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Provides a history of the Unix operating system and the personalities and leadership of...... More...

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Paper Abstract: Provides a history of the Unix operating system and the personalities and leadership of its founders. Includes a brief discussion of the legacy of Unix and development of Linux. Paper Introduction: A Brief History of Unix Introduction The Unix operating system remains an important part of today\'scomputing environments despite the fact that it was developed more than years ago Few other components of computers-whether hardware or software-are still used to that extent Unix is unique not only because itcontinues to find favor among users and developers but also because itbegan what came to be known as the open source approach to computing The reasons for Unix\'s success and its open source legacy can Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Open sourcing also arose from the fact that at thetime, there was little that was considered proprietary. Despite this open source technique, Linux follows many of thesoftware development protocols in place at software companies, and it isnot a free-for-all in terms of coding. A Brief History of Unix Introduction The Unix operating system remains an important part of today'scomputing environments despite the fact that it was developed more than 3 years ago. (2 4, June 12). Nearly 15 years after UCB's effort was released, auniversity student in Finland decided to write a new open source "clone" ofUnix using a "clean sheet" design ("Unix's," 2 4). Unix's Legacy That student, Linus Torvalds, named his version Linux, and it returnsto Unix's foundation as a collaborative product. Hobbyists and professionals alike contribute to Linux, and fromthis standpoint, it is the legacy of Unix with its originally openapproach. (2 5, May 6). Unix is unique not only because itcontinues to find favor among users and developers, but also because itbegan what came to be known as the "open source" approach to computing.The reasons for Unix's success and its open source legacy can be found inits earliest history and in the personalities and leadership of itsdevelopers, Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson. Unix was not without controversy, however. Business Week Online, n.p.Unix's founding fathers. Because theresearchers did not immediately grasp the commercial implications of theirwork, they often shared information with peers at other companies who wouldmake improvements and offer their own suggestions ("Unix's," 2 4). The Economist (US), p. This meant that Unix could be ported from one platform toanother; this, in turn, led to greater acceptance in the market and a drivetoward open sourcing. ReferencesCohen, S. A competing version wasdeveloped at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB), and courtbattles ensued. 38. At the time-during the 196 s and 197 s-companies such as AT&Toften let employees pursue what otherwise might be considered esotericprojects just to see what might develop ("Unix's," 2 4). The hardware constraints of computers at that time forced Thompson andRitchie to be economic and efficient in their coding. Bill Joy, who headed the UCB effort, later founded SunMicrosystems. They also departedfrom writing in machine language and instead used C and coupled it with acompiler. Like its progenitor, Linux isproving powerful with a large and supportive community of users (Cohen,2 5). Few other components of computers-whether hardware or software-are still used to that extent. Analysis Both Ritchie and Thompson were PhDs employed by Bell Labs (part ofAT&T), and both were part of a team that focused on basic rather thanapplied research. They were given the funds to explore new technologies,and if applications could be found for those technologies, so much thebetter. No renegade group behind Linux. Today, many Linuxdevelopers are employed by major companies such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM,but the code itself is open and can be downloaded, modified and reviewed byanyone. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.