[TUHS] So who named Unix? [was multicians] Peter Neumann has died]

[Arnold Robbins via TUHS]

Much thanks. That sounds pretty definitive.

Arnold

Clem Cole <clemc at ccc.com> wrote:

> In Dennis's Oct 1984 BSTJ paper: "The Evolution of the Unix Operating
> System" (
> https://www.read.seas.harvard.edu/~kohler/class/aosref/ritchie84evolution.pdf),
> in the last paraphraph of the section entired "Origins" on page 3, he says:
>
> *"Up to this time all the programs were written using GECOS and files were
> transferred to the PDP-7 on paper tape; but once an assembler was completed
> the system was able to support itself. Although it was not until well into
> 1970 that Brian Kernighan suggested the name 'Unix,' in a somewhat
> treacherous pun on 'Multics,' the operating system we know today was
> born." *
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 21, 2026 at 3:05 PM Arnold Robbins via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org>
> wrote:
>
> > In
> >
> > > https://cacm.acm.org/news/in-memoriam-peter-g-neumann-1932-2026/
> >
> > It's brought down that some stories credit Peter Neumann with the Unics
> > pun on Multics. It's plausible as he as involved in Multics for Bell Labs,
> > (apparently) was still around when Ken started working on the PDP-7 in
> > 1969-1970, and he had a penchant for puns.
> >
> > Other histories I've seen credit Brian Kernighan with the naming. When
> > I asked BWK some time back, he said he didn't remember.
> >
> > Doug and/or Ken, do either of you happen to remember definitively?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Arnold
> >