I'm looking for the original UNIX operating system

dinolinux · 08-15-2005, 12:37 PM

Hi!

After about 2 years of Linux, I want to try the original UNIX OS. I want to go as far as possible back in history to find it. I want to know i someone here wants to help me. And please don't advise me to try MINIX or BSD.

Anyone interested???

borromini · 08-15-2005, 12:46 PM

I think the existing Unixes aren't free. Not sure if they used to be at the start, but they surely aren't now.

trickykid · 08-15-2005, 12:48 PM

So if you wanted to run the original code from say.. 1970 or so since Unix was created in 1969, do you even have the hardware to run this OS on? Your best bet is to use Solaris, a BSD flavor or something SCO puts out as they all most likely contain original Unix code.

tuxdev · 08-15-2005, 12:48 PM

Even if you can find the original AT&T Unix, you probably cannot run it. You don't have an i386 around, do you?

trickykid · 08-15-2005, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tuxdev
Even if you can find the original AT&T Unix, you probably cannot run it. You don't have an i386 around, do you?

Dude, i386 didn't even exist then..

tuxdev · 08-15-2005, 12:56 PM

Sorry, I should have said 8086. Something made for 8086 is way more likely to run on a i386...

trickykid · 08-15-2005, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tuxdev
Sorry, I should have said 8086. Something made for 8086 is way more likely to run on a i386...

Intel 8086 didn't come around til 1978.. you still have about 10 years before that.. perhaps you need to go read CPU and hardware history before making claims of what would work or not..

tuxdev · 08-15-2005, 01:06 PM

It is really hard to look back before 1989, my birthyear.

davcefai · 08-15-2005, 01:07 PM

Unix was only fairly recently ported to x86. So what you're going to be looking for is a computer + UNIX compiled for it. Microsoft XENIX used to run on an 8086 but that was a MS derivative of UNIX. I used to run System V/68K on a Motorola VME machine (8MB RAM and 150MB hdd)

For a history of UNIX look for "The daemon, the gnu and the penguin" which is being published chapter by chapter on Groklaw.

jtshaw · 08-15-2005, 01:08 PM

If you want to run the original UNIX (or UNIC as it was first called) you would need a PDP-7 or PDP-11 system.

Oh ya... and as far as looking back before your birthday... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX

dinolinux · 08-15-2005, 01:11 PM

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/...asp?c=511&st=1

That box runned UNIX! Great! Now I just have to get it somewhere..............

alred · 08-15-2005, 03:59 PM

interesting thread , there are some boot disks for early unix , not sure whether they need an actual system installed on hd inorder to boot or their 3.5" is actually a 1.44mb floppy , the xenix ones are in SLS and EFS directories , some of them may need ibm MCA 386 pc , can try the ISA 386 or ISA 286 pc first , hope that those boot disks can work without a system on HD , i never try these yet ::

at a glance ::
http://aplawrence.com/SCOFAQ/FAQ_sco...nloadboot.html

the directory ::
bootdisks directory
note :: also have a look at the "pos/demo" directory , theres an Embedded SCO Unix on a single 1.44 Demo floppy that can run on 4MB 486

How do I copy the supplement image I have downloaded to floppy disk?

Xenix FAQ

hope that you can build something out of these ...

enine · 08-17-2005, 11:52 AM

You have to go back to 1969. Interesting new info:
http://www.unixreview.com/documents/...l/ur0508l.html

KimVette · 08-17-2005, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by davcefai
Unix was only fairly recently ported to x86. So what you're going to be looking for is a computer + UNIX compiled for it. Microsoft XENIX used to run on an 8086 but that was a MS derivative of UNIX. I used to run System V/68K on a Motorola VME machine (8MB RAM and 150MB hdd)

For a history of UNIX look for "The daemon, the gnu and the penguin" which is being published chapter by chapter on Groklaw.

FYI Microsoft XENIX was spun off as Santa Cruz Operations, XENIX became SCO Unix, and you know the rest of the story. . .

2damncommon · 08-17-2005, 08:32 PM

The SIMH emulator has quite a few choices.

Perhaps not THE ORIGINAL as requested.

More info here.