close.. I believe it was Brian Kernigahn ( of C fame ), who didn't want to program his pdp computer with multics for an astronomy program, so came up with unix to do it. Mulitics is a multiuser high security OS/computer that was rather a pain to program. Joe --- "Michael F. March" wrote: > UNIX was developed on a lark. The two inventors > where on the > Multics team and when AT&T pulled out of the project > they > recreated a lite version internally in AT&T. > > > I've read that AT&T developed Unix under US > Government grant (DARPA > > Project) which is why they couldn't sell it. > > > > George > > > > > > AZ Pete wrote: > > > > > > Go here for full history: > > > http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/ > > > > > > Here is a snippet: > > > > > > In 1976-77, Ken Thompson took a six-month > sabbatical from Bell Labs to > > > teach as a visiting professor at the Computer > Science Department at the > > > University of California-Berkeley (UCB). What he > taught, of course, was > > > the UNIX system. While there, he also developed > much of what eventually > > > became Version 6. > > > > > > The system was an instant hit, and the word > spread quickly throughout > > > the academic community. > > > > > > When Thompson returned to Bell Labs, students > and professors at > > > Berkeley continued to enhance UNIX. Eventually, > many of these > > > enhancements were incorporated into what became > known as Berkeley > > > Software Distribution (BSD) Version 4.2, which > many other universities > > > also bought. > > > > > > UNIX had been distributed via academic licenses, > which were relatively > > > inexpensive, and government and commercial > licenses from about 1975. > > > UCB became important in spreading the word about > UNIX when it > > > established a Computer Systems Research Group > (CSRG), originally under > > > the direction of Robert Fabry. The CSRG obtained > a grant from DARPA to > > > support a version of UNIX for DARPA contractors, > which were mostly > > > academic and military organizations, and some > commercial firms. Ritchie > > > recalled, "The contractors got the UNIX licenses > from Bell Labs, but > > > they got the BSD software from Berkeley." ... > > > > > > > > > > > > ...As UNIX spread throughout the academic world, > businesses eventually > > > became aware of UNIX from their newly hired > programmers who had used it > > > in college. > > > > > > Soon a new business opportunity developed -- > writing programs to run on > > > UNIX for commercial use. What made UNIX popular > for business > > > applications was its timesharing, multitasking > capability, permitting > > > many people to use the mini- or mainframe; its > portability across > > > different vendor's machines; and its e-mail > capability. > > > > > > In 1984, AT&T divested itself of its local Bell > telephone companies, > > > and also created an independent subsidiary, AT&T > Computer Systems. The > > > creation of the subsidiary enabled the > communications giant to enter > > > the computer business. The new subsidiary > marketed a number of computer > > > products, including the UNIX operating system. > Its software flagship > > > was System 5, which ran on AT&T's 3B series of > computers. > > > ... > > > > > > Hope this helps > > > Peter > > > > > > --- Mark Phillips wrote: > > > > I thought UNIX was first developed at UC > Berkley, and then moved to > > > > AT&T?? > > > > > > > > Mark > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: > plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > > [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On > Behalf Of Jim > > > > Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 9:45 AM > > > > To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > Subject: History question > > > > > > > > > > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > > > > > I know that Unix was developed by AT&T in the > early '70s. My > > > > question is > > > > why > > > > was Unix originally free? Certainly AT&T knew > the value of the > > > > product that > > > > they were creating. Any helpful links lurking > out there in the minds > > > > of > > > > PLUG > > > > members? > > > > - -- > > > > Jim > > > > > > > > Freedom is worth preserving > > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > > > > Version: PGP 6.5.8 > > > > > > > > > iQA/AwUBPIeZFSsk3ywszI1FEQIjgwCeISYOGv6y43K+aqZtSoHsStHQxOIAoJ3N > > > > SnSvKgaNGIm06WXelSGUcXtL > > > > =cnQf > > > > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > > > > ________________________________________________ > > > > See > http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if > your mail > > > > doesn't post > > > > to the list quickly and you use Netscape to > write mail. > > > > > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________ > > > > See > http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if > your mail > > > > doesn't post to the list quickly and you use > Netscape to write mail. > > > > > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > > Do You Yahoo!? > > > Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free > email! > > > http://mail.yahoo.com/ > > > ________________________________________________ > > > See > http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if > your mail doesn't > post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to > write mail. > > > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > ________________________________________________ > > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml > if your mail doesn't > post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to > write mail. > > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > ________________________________________________ > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml > if === message truncated === ===== JT and NE Tannenbaum jtannenba@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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