Anecdotes and Folklore about Unix

Here are some interesting bits of folklore about Unix. If you have any other things to add, or know of good URLs, please mail them to Warren Toomey.

Unix Oral History

In the Annals of the History of Computing, Volume 12, Number 4, 1990, p.264, it was stated that:

An oral history project to document the development of the Unix system has been initiated by AT&T Bell laboratories, the birthplace of Unix. The year-long project will include interviews with such Unix pioneers as Dennis Richie, Ken Thompson, and Doug McIlroy. The first cassette, titled ``Release 0, the Beginning'', is available by contacting Michael E. Miller, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Room 1L-414, JFK Parkway, Short Hills, NJ, USA, 07078.

In January 1994, Russell Schulz received a paper letter from AT&T which said (in part):

The AT&T Corporate Archives is in the process of transcribing and editing the tapes on the UNIX Project. The transcriptions are halfway finished and need to be approved by the interviewees and corrected. This process should be completed in approximately six months. At that time, a decision will be made as to how these transcriptions will be used.

I haven't checked to see the current status of this project.

Usenet News Postings about Unix

Stuff from old AUUG Newsletters

Unix Folklore - Web Pages


Warren Toomey
2001-05-04