[TUHS] Some 1980 Bell System UNIX Descriptions

[segaloco via TUHS]

I've just today received Bell System Information and Operations Systems, March 1980, Issue 4, and several UNIX variants are listed therein.  Here I'll compile a few excerpts until such time as I can scan this.

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First, simply "UNIX" in this manual refers to the USG Program Generic version.  From the description:

"Issue 3 was released as a standard product in 1977.  UNIX has been superseded by UNIX/TS in 4Q78."

The status is given as becoming supported Bell Labs project 4Q73 (so referring to Program Generic starting in 1973?) and first supported as an "OTC" project 1Q76.  The only document reference is given as "Western Electric Generic Program PG1C300", and the points of contact are D.N. Weldon and B.A. Tague.

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Unfortunately there is no "UNIX/TS" page, but there is a "UNIX/RT" page which as of this issue was renamed from MERT.  The description claims:

"UNIX/RT was released 1Q79."

References are given to some of the papers in the 1978 BSTJ issue and to the PWB/UNIX User's Manual.  The contacts are again given as Weldon and Tague.

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The only other UNIX version directly documented is PWB/UNIX.  The description given is quite interesting, here's a couple excerpts:

"The Programmer's Workbench is a computing facility that provides a convenient working environment and a uniform set of tools for computer program development and text processing.  It is based on Bell Laboratories UNIX Time-Sharing System (UNIX/TS), so it is more properly known as PWB/UNIX.  PWB/UNIX has several component systems, each of which augments thr capabilities of UNIX/TS to provide the desired software development and text processing environment."

...

"PWB/UNIX is a time sharing system released and supported by Bell Laboratories Area 90."

The status goes on to indicate the first installation was in October 1973.  The "software" field, which on many other pages indicates the OS environment something runs in, for this one lists simply UNIX/TS.  Finally the contacts include D.N. Weldon again as well as H.T. Gibson.

Again unfortunately no corresponding UNIX/TS entry is to he found in this manual, but between the USG PGIII page and PWB/UNIX description, it all makes UNIX/TS sound like the next Program Generic, on which more complex systems like PWB/UNIX and UNIX/RT are then rebased sometime in late '78.  That is just a hunch though, UNIX/TS remains an elusive figure, but there may be other systems in here built on top of UNIX/TS that shed a bit more light.  One possible assumption from this too is that UNIX/TS might have looked a bit like PWB/UNIX, just without RJE, SCCS, MRCS (Modification Request Control System), and troff and the rest of DWB, as these are all listed as component systems layered on top of UNIX/TS.

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One honorable mention is the COSMOS system, which is given here as having been first installed 1Q74 and running on the "COSMIX" modified version of UNIX.  No corresponding COSMIX page is in here so unfortunately can't chase that much further.

For the record there is a lot of other software listed in here, all sorts of Bell System stuff from accounting software to various information management systems about things like vehicle fleets, inventory, HR software, quite a lot of stuff.  The systems used are also wide and varied, with various DEC PDP models, IBM 360/370 and Amdahl work-alikes, Honeywell and GE systems, and several custom operating systems and hardware platforms like various ESS central controls and auxiliary processors.  It interestingly looks to be typeset with some IBM system rather than UNIX, the text is all caps and layout reminds me of some IBM software catalogs from around the same time.  Maybe the database was started on non-UNIX systems so is likewise typeset from those systems.  Unfortunately there's no date listings of the previous issues.

Anywho, there are probably plenty more nuggets in here but wanted to share those bits especially since they pertain to UNIX/TS.

Lastly, what was not present were any mentions of Research UNIX, CB-UNIX, 32V, LSX, Mini-UNIX, or 3B systems, at least in what I've looked through thus far.  If I find any more interesting bits I'll be sure to share them.  If you know of some arcane Bell System software that you'd like me to look for in the manual, feel free to email me outside TUHS and I can target those pages for preservation first.

- Matt G.