[TUHS] "A New Command Language for UNIX and Related Systems", Sturzenbecker CL (1982)

[segaloco via TUHS]

On Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 at 12:47, Arnold Robbins via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:

> Hi.
> 
> Alex Bochannek via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:
> 
> > The document mentions that
> > CL was implemented for Unix Release 4.0, which also made me wonder how
> > widely that release was used inside the Bell System.
> 
> I think it was used pretty widely. I've described this before, check
> the archives, but circa 19833-1984 I did some contract programming
> for Southern Bell on a PDP-11/70 running Unix 4.0.  It was the
> standard version of Unix inside the Bell System.
> 
> Arnold
> 

Long musing on Release 4.x incoming.

My reading of documents agrees that Release 4.x was pretty wide-spread.
The story I've heard goes that AT&T tended to stabilize with odd
releases and then add a bunch of new stuff on even releases, so BTL was
probably more likely to be on a even release when available, same story
from what I've read with PWB 2.0.  I've read anecdotes that SVR2 was
originally to be Release 6.0 but by that time divested AT&T decided to
just go all in on UNIX releases and stuck with the System V trademark.
Internal BTL editions of this release are indeed also labeled System V
Release 2 whereas the prior versions were Release 5.0 for internal use.

Release 4.0 was popular enough to have a couple of nice printed volumes
of papers from the "Documents For" collection.  One such starter package
is available here:

https://archive.org/details/unix-programming-starter-package

It was also the beginning of the end for the simplicity of document
distro, Release 4.x is the first release we see the manual split into
u_man and a_man, and the unbundling of the secondary volume TROFF
sources may have occurred around the same time.  By SVR2, what was a
single programmer's manual and volume 2 is now a_man, u_man, and p_man,
along with all the papers strewn amongst a number of different
independent volumes.

However unlikely, Release 4.x is potentially more likely to have
survived in a cast-off tape or disk pack than earlier PWB and USG stuff.
However unlikely one of my goals is to hopefully start finding rapport
with nearby telco offices to see if I can suss out any old stuff from
that time.  That said, I've got no idea how wide-spread the various BTL
UNIX flavors were outside in the larger Bell System ecosystem, if for
instance any random telco office would've had USG generics or PWB, or if
most of their UNIX would be in more deeply embedded apps like COSMOS or
ESS units.  I don't know how this bodes for the chances of a UNIX 4.0 or
any other esoteric thing just sitting and rotting under the floor of a
switching office somewhere.  Unfortunately my letter and gift of an old
Bell System commemorative token have resulted in no return of contact
from the closest office to me (360-REgent) so remains a mystery.  They
do have what looks like a pre-divestiture 5ESS running in their
basement at least...so maybe there's hope for some old UNIX hiding
somewhere...

- Matt G.