[Unix-jun72] Missing commands

Warren Toomey wkt at tuhs.org
Sat May 3 18:48:17 AEST 2008


I thought I would quickly make a list of commands we have, commands that
are missing, and out-of-the-ordinary commands. Below, if a command has
no comment, it's a V1 command that we have. Notes follow. I have not tried
to list the missing /etc and /usr/... commands yet.

/bin
----
:               V2 cmd, 0405 binary
ar
as              V2 binary
b               missing
bas
bcd             missing
boot            missing
cal
cat
cc              V2 binary
chball          ? no idea
check
chmod
chown
cmp
cp
date
db 
dbppt           missing
dc 
df  
ds              V2 binary
dsw
dtf             missing
du   
echo            V2 cmd, 0405 binary
ed  
exit            V2 cmd, 0405 binary
fc              V2 binary
find            V2 binary
form
goto            V2 cmd, 0405 binary
hup             missing
if              V2 cmd, 0405 binary
lbppt           missing
ld              V2 binary
ln
login           V2 cmd, 0405 binary
ls
mail
maki            V2 binary
mesg
mkdir
mkfs
mount
mv
nm              V2 binary
od
pr
rew
rkd             missing
rkf             missing
rkl             missing
rm
rmdir
roff
sdate           missing
sh
size            V2 binary
skip            ? no idea
sort
stat
strip           V2 binary
stty            V2 cmd, 0405 binary
su
sum
tap
tm
tty
type
un              V2 binary
wc
who
write

/etc
----
as2             V2 binary
getty           V2 cmd, 0405 binary
glob
init
msh
suftab
uids

I have a quote from dmr somewhere (I can't find it), but to paraphrase:
early UNIX was under a constant state of development. We would tidy up
now and then, write a new manual, then get back to development.

The 1st Edition UNIX manual is dated November 3, 1971.
The 2nd Edition UNIX manual is dated June 12, 1972.

1st Edition (1e) only used 0405 a.out files. 2nd Edition (2e) only used
0407 a.out files. I would guess that the executables that we have from
the s2 tape are from a snapshot halfway between 1e and 2e, and at that
point in time the kernel could execute both varieties. This would explain
why some V2 commands are 0405 style, and some are 0407 style.

Despite the dates on the PDF commentary where we got the kernel source,
the kernel has to be around 1e, not much later. The kernel only knows
about 0405 a.out files, and is missing all of the system calls new to 2e:
hog, kill, makdir (renamed from 1e mkdir), smdate and sync.

So: kernel is around 1e, Nov 1971 or close; executables are somewhere
between 1e and 2e, but before June 1972 as we have 0405 and 0407 ones.

Cheers,
	Warren



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