10 Jan
2014
10 Jan
'14
2:55 p.m.
Very, very true. PWB was all about introducing UNIX into the comp
centers which were all ready in existance, with big iron sitting
in them. Existing staff was tapped to run PWB as well, typically
consisted of operators, system administrators, system programmers,
program counselors, and accounting personal. None were researchers,
UNIX was a service to be provided, the goal was to keep the machines
up and running to charge for usage.
From: <scj(a)yaccman.com>
Recall that in those days, "systems administrator" was an entry level,
minimum wage job. Most worked third shift, and their primary duties were
to mount and dismount disc backup tapes. Those people who actually did
administration in the sense we think of it were greatly underpaid and
disrespected. The next decade or two, particularly with networking,
caused a huge change. The Usenix LISA conferences did a lot to raise
consciousness that there was a real there there.