Unix History Diagram

[User Rdkeys Robert D. Keys]

> All,
> 
> I was thinking of trying to update my `History of UNIX' diagram at
> http://minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au/TUHS/Images/unixtimeline.gif, to bring it up
> to date and make it more accurate. The current status of my update is at:
> 	
> 	http://minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au/Unix_History/
> 
> I'm missing details on many of the commercial versions of UNIX:
> 
> 	+ SunOS/Solaris
> 	+ SysVR4.x
> 	+ Ultrix
> 	+ Xenix
> 	+ Unixware :-)
> 	+ BSDI stuff
> 	+ lots more

A couple of lesser known BSDish oddities from Big Blue....

Add IBM's AOS.  That was a straight 4.3BSD port dating from 1987 or 1988.
This was the only official port for the RT-PC hardware.

Add IBM's unofficial ``Reno'' port.  That was a somewhere between 4.3/4.4
port dating from 1991 or 1992.   It was apparently done by IBM or IBM
contractors.  It looks very straight 4.4, in appearance.

Add IBM's unoffical ``4.4Lite'' port.  That was a somewhere between 4.4
and the real Lite dating from 1994 or 1995.  It was apparently done by
IBM or IBM contractors, with source trees from two development streams
combined together to resolve developmental divergences.

They all were used on the RT-PC hardware (ROMP Risc processor).

The 4.3 is very nice.  Code size about 75 megs binary.  It runs fine
on a small machine with 8 megs ram and 115 megs HD, or the biggest
RT class machine.  The C compilers are slightly broken, but usually
can be worked around (good old pcc seems the best).

The Reno is fair to good, but missing things like working tape I/O.
You can tar or dump, but no other tape functions work correctly.
Code size about 150 megs binary.  It needs 16M ram and 300mb HD.
I dunno exactly how ``Reno'' it really is.

The 4.4Lite is fair to good, but still missing working tape I/O.
Code size about 300 megs binary.  It needs 16M ram and 300mb HD.
Bloat seems to have set in on this one, since the whole system is
well over 1 gig in size.  It barely will run on two 300mb HD.
The login says it is 4.4Lite and not straight 4.4.  There is no
indication of how pure ``Lite'' it really is.

I dunno anything about how these originated developmentally, but
the AOS seems to be vanilla 4.3BSD and all else may have developed
from that, possibly after the RT line became back-burner stuff.
I would be very interested in any history from anyone on the list
that was around IBM at the time on these.

.......

Add Xenix for the Radio Shack 16B machines on 8 inch floppers.
That seems to date from around 1982 or 1983, although I have
misplaced my disks on that one, and don't have the machine anymore.
I was thinking someone on the list had one of those beasts running?

That is all I can think of offhand to add.....

Bob Keys

p.s.  Anyone got a spare V7ish Xenix they would part with for x86
      hardware?  I would like to try a native suite rather than
      an emulator, if possible.  There were one or two such ports
      I am thinking like Xenix, Microport, or PC-IX maybe?  I just
      missed one a few days ago at out state surplus house, when I
      picked it up, looked at it, set it down, and then someone
      else grabbed it... oh, well....(:+{{.....


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