UNIX rose from the ashes of a multi-organizational effort in the early 1960s to develop a dependable timesharing operating
system. After three decades of use, the UNIX*
computer operating system is still regarded as one of the most powerful, versatile, and flexible operating system in the
computer world. Its popularity is due to many factors, including its ability to run a wide variety of machines, from micros to supercomputers, and its portability, all of which led to its adoption by many manufacturers. The system also fostered a distinctive approach to software design, solving a problem by interconnecting simpler tools, rather than creating large monolithic application programs. Its development and evolution led to a new philosophy of computing, and it has been a
never-ending source of both challenges and
joy to programmers around the world.