[TUHS] Found: 4.1BSD User's Manual Volume 2C Comb-Bound

segaloco via TUHS tuhs at tuhs.org
Sun Oct 15 15:49:31 AEST 2023


One thing worth noting, I think, not sure, but I think the contents suggest the 4BSD rather than 4.1BSD set, I can't tell for certain because I actually can't locate a 4.1BSD doc folder with the Volume 2C intro and TOC. The physical article (as well as a Acco binder copy I also have) both indicate November 1980 (as opposed to 4.1BSDs June 1981.) Curiously, the comb bound one has one extra entry in the TOC written in by hand: the curses paper. Indeed it is the last in the comb bound manual and not present in my Acco-bound copy.

Not conclusive of anything but just an observation, I can't track down an authoritatively-sourced copy of the doc/vmunix folder where the original of the TOC lives in 4BSD. The 4BSD typesetter sources of the TOC match what is in both copies I have, minus the hand-written curses inclusion.

It very well could be the Volume 2C version of the TOC stopped being maintained around this time as I likewise don't see the doc/vmunix folder in 4.1c or 4.2. Either way, just something I found odd, I can't 100% confirm parity with what would be in /usr/doc on a standard 4.1BSD distro, I'll have to go digging and see what I have though, I feel like I archived away some 4.1BSD stuff I found somewhere that had some delta with what is in the UNIX tree. Not going to draw any firm conclusions until I put eyes on doc sources though. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if the manual amounts to more of a "4.0b", being the 4BSD set with some incremental changes towards 4.1. But again, nothing to back that up, just my initial impression.

- Matt G.
------- Original Message -------
On Saturday, October 14th, 2023 at 8:19 PM, Mary Ann Horton <mah at mhorton.net> wrote:

> I checked my bookshelf - my 4.1BSD manuals are the same Bell Labs printing as the two Worthpoint links below. AFAIK they are a vanilla printing of the soft copy from the 4.1 BSD tape.
>
> If there is any value to documenting this further, please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mary Ann Horton (she/her/ma'am)
> maryannhorton.com
>
> “This is a great book about an amazing journey of a woman
> who went through hell to become the person she is today.”
> - Monica Helms, creator of the transgender flag
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> - Laura L. Engel, Intl. Memoir Writers Assn.
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>
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>
> On 10/9/23 19:11, Jonathan Gray wrote:
>
>> On Mon, Oct 09, 2023 at 04:17:36PM +0000, segaloco via TUHS wrote:
>>
>>> Spotted this and ordered it on eBay
>>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/235246689392
>>> After the link is a pretty nondescript comb-bound 4.1BSD User's
>>> Manual Volume 2C.  I don't think I've seen comb-bound issues prior
>>> to the USENIX 4.2BSD set that introduced the Beastie cover.  Does
>>> anyone know if there was a limited run produced by the Berkeley
>>> folks themselves or if this is more likely a one-off someone printed
>>> for themselves?  Either way, this is an exciting find for the
>>> completeness of my library, this would leave 3BSD as the only VAX
>>> BSD version I don't have any Volume 2C papers in my bookshelf from.
>>> If this does prove to be issue from Berkeley or someone directly
>>> adjacent to them, the next thing I hope to figure out is if this
>>> has Volume 1 and Volume 2A/2B companions.  I find myself curious
>>> because the 4BSD Volume 2C I have was following a plain Jane Version
>>> 7 Volume 2A/2B rather than also 4BSD 2A/2B, so whoever curated that
>>> set either got them that way or clobbered V7 and 4BSD docs together
>>> themselves.
>>
>> Brian Ehrmantraut's photo has two 4.1BSD volumes:
>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/internetoldfarts/posts/722465582733996/
>> Link from when the Wollongong Group version of the commentary was
>> mentioned here.
>>
>> There was a Bell Laboratories printing of the 4.1BSD manuals.
>> https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1981-bell-laboratories-unix-users-1947580163
>>
>> https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1980-bell-laboratories-unix-1947578308
>> A list of documents included with the distribution can be found in
>> doc/vmunix/cover*.  Below text from 4.1a.tar.gz included in the CSRG
>> Archives.
>>
>>				July 8, 1981
>>
>> This is a full distribution kit for the second release of
>> the Fourth Berkeley software tape, known as 4.1bsd.  The
>> package you received should have contained:
>>
>> 1)   Either a 2400' 1600 bpi magnetic tape or two RK07 disk
>>      cartridges containing the basic system software; this
>>      is the bootstrap distribution media.  A second 2400'
>>      1600 bpi tape or a third RK07 disk cartridge contains
>>      additional material beyond the basic system on the
>>      first tape (INGRES, source for documents in the
>>      manuals, bit mapped fonts, etc.)
>>
>> 2)   Documents titled ``Installing and operating 4.1bsd'',
>>      ``Bug fixes and changes in 4.1bsd'', ``Changes to the
>>      kernel in 4.1bsd'', and ``Hints on configuring VAX
>>      systems for UNIX''
>>
>> 3)   A two sided copy of volume 1 of the programmer's
>>      manual.
>>
>> 4)   A single sided, reproduction-quality copy of Volume 1
>>      of the programmer's manual for the system.
>>
>> 5)   A copy of a document describing fsck.
>>
>> 6)   A two sided copy of volumes 2a and 2b of the
>>      programmer's manual.
>>
>> 7)   A single sided, reproduction-quality, copy of Volume 2c
>>      of the programmer's manual for the system.
>>
>> 8)   2 Vi Reference Cards and a master for reproducing
>>      cards.
>>
>> 9)   Three documents describing the Berkeley Network.
>>
>> 10)  Two documents on the internals of the Pascal system.
>>      manual and a new table of contents for volume 2c.
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