LinuxQuestions.org

LinuxQuestions.org (/questions/)
-   Linux - Newbie (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/)
-   -   linux = UNIX ???? (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/linux-%3D-unix-775527/)

fachamix 12-14-2009 05:48 AM

linux = UNIX ????
 
is linux a unix ???

I always though that UNIX was JUST and ONLY, and operating system.
Now I try to download UNIX from internet, but the webs always gives me MACHINTOSH, LINUX; AIX, BSD for download.

so .. the word UNIX, is just an operating system, or is a KIND of operating system. or it became a kind of operating system with the time.

I want to download UNIX, to try, i cannot find it anywhere to compare the performance with linux

raju.mopidevi 12-14-2009 06:17 AM

LINUX is a kernel ..

see this LQ article Unix vs Linux

makyo 12-14-2009 06:29 AM

Hi.

The article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix will provide most of the answers to your questions. If you click on the first graphic, you'll see the *nix-like systems that you can obtain for free. Others are proprietary, e.g, AIX, HPUX, and are built to run on specific hardware ... cheers, makyo

onebuck 12-14-2009 06:41 AM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by fachamix (Post 3790773)
is linux a unix ???

I always though that UNIX was JUST and ONLY, and operating system.
Now I try to download UNIX from internet, but the webs always gives me MACHINTOSH, LINUX; AIX, BSD for download.

so .. the word UNIX, is just an operating system, or is a KIND of operating system. or it became a kind of operating system with the time.

I want to download UNIX, to try, i cannot find it anywhere to compare the performance with linux

I suggest that you read the below links;

UNIX
UNIX-like
Linux

You should be able define what you can or cannot do after reading the above links. If you want 'UNIX' then pay the $$. If you want a 'UNIX-Like' then choose one. The same goes for a GNU/Linux distribution, choose one that meets your requirements.

:hattip:

~sHyLoCk~ 12-14-2009 06:42 AM

Solaris is unix-based , while BSDs and Linux are unix-like.

divyashree 12-14-2009 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fachamix (Post 3790773)
is linux a unix ???

I always though that UNIX was JUST and ONLY, and operating system.
Now I try to download UNIX from internet, but the webs always gives me MACHINTOSH, LINUX; AIX, BSD for download.

so .. the word UNIX, is just an operating system, or is a KIND of operating system. or it became a kind of operating system with the time.

I want to download UNIX, to try, i cannot find it anywhere to compare the performance with linux

GNU project was made to overcome the propritary nature of UNIX(IBM-AIX,HP-UX,SUN-SOLARIS,BSD).

GNU/LINUX is the complete open source operating system.

GNU - GNU is NOT UNIX

As UNIX is proprietary u can't download it anywhere.Use GNU/LINUX instead.

U can download Solaris ,as sun made it opensource in 2008.Now its opensolaris.
U also can download FreeBSD.

malekmustaq 12-14-2009 10:26 AM

fachamix,

Quote:

I always though that UNIX was JUST and ONLY, and operating system.
Your thought was correct: it was and it is an operating system consisting its own kernel and environment, which were unfortunately proprietary: not open not free, until recently.
Quote:


want to download UNIX, to try, i cannot find it anywhere to compare the performance with linux

Here is an OpenSolaris by Sun, it is a unix.
Here is a FreeBSD of the Berkeley unix, that is also free, as well as the OpenBSD here.

Performance wise, if you mean speed, a properly configured unix is better than an Ubuntu or "whatever an all-ready-all-around" distro. But a well trimmed GNU/Linux is as fast as a well trimmed unix. The nearest GNU/Linux distro to immitate a BSD unix implementation is Slackware.

Linux kernel today stands as a well coded matured kernel, thanks to Linux Trovalds and the many bright boys who spend time and talent to offer a "no joke" kernel to the world for free! Linux is a Unix-Like kernel, it is coded separate but inherited and improved the very strong philosophical points of Unix, such that it is as good as unix itself now.

We apply the term "GNU/Linux" for it is the truth. Linux is just the Kernel, but GNU provides the rest that makes it an Operating System. We acknowledge honor to whom honor is due.

Read the links Onebuck has provided above, it will shed more light to your questioning.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

fachamix 12-14-2009 11:32 AM

thanks all for the reply!!!!

thanks really

b0uncer 12-14-2009 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malekmustaq (Post 3791075)
Your thought was correct: it was and it is an operating system consisting its own kernel and environment, which were unfortunately proprietary: not open not free, until recently.

Actually it is not. Several sources clearly mark that (especially today) there is no operating system called "unix" (in caps or not). The word does not mean a computer operating system, but standards that describe or even define such a thing. Wikipedia says it like this (direct quote from the page about Unix):

Quote:

Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX, sometimes also written as Unix with small caps) is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna. Today the term Unix is used to describe any operating system that conforms to Unix standards, meaning the core operating system operates the same as the original Unix operating system. Today's Unix systems are split into various branches, developed over time by AT&T as well as various commercial vendors and non-profit organizations.---
So, in a way, Linux (meaning the operating system, which some folks argue should be written as GNU/Linux) is a Unix operating system ("-like" if you like). But in any case, there is no operating system that "is" Unix.

As a sidenote, if you want some fun, go to a library and read some books from the early days of Unix. Then see some books from the time when Windows came around that talk about Unix. Enjoy :)

resetreset 12-15-2009 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~sHyLoCk~ (Post 3790836)
Solaris is unix-based , while BSDs and Linux are unix-like.

I think I'd sort of like to disagree with this post - Linus Torvalds was reading the book "The Design of the Unix Operating System" when he started to develop what would become Linux, so I'd say Linux IS a Unix.

But I have never actually used a Unix system besides Linux, so I can't tell you what, if any, the differences are.

dv502 12-15-2009 05:25 AM

In the movie documentary "Linux Code". It was mentioned that Linus Torvalds started his kernel project on a Minux system. The documentary linux Code can be found in youtube.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ycppO3gPE

The movie is split in 7 parts.

BTW, it does not matter to me if linux is unix-based or unix-like, as long it is not windows.

- Cheers

~sHyLoCk~ 12-15-2009 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by resetreset (Post 3791951)
I think I'd sort of like to disagree with this post - Linus Torvalds was reading the book "The Design of the Unix Operating System" when he started to develop what would become Linux, so I'd say Linux IS a Unix.

But I have never actually used a Unix system besides Linux, so I can't tell you what, if any, the differences are.

So you mean if you see something, get inspired by it, and create something it becomes a replica of what you saw? So Linux is actually a plagiarized unix? I don't understand this logic.

Also check these links: http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Linus_To...nux_connection
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Linux
Btw, minix was an "unix-like" system and not unix.

Regards

Zmyrgel 12-15-2009 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~sHyLoCk~ (Post 3790836)
Solaris is unix-based , while BSDs and Linux are unix-like.

What makes you say that BSD's aren't Unix-based? They are descendants of original AT&T UNIX. Solaris has paid for its use of UNIX trademark so it can be called UNIX system, BSD's are UNIX-based as is Solaris and Linux is the newbie of the growd being UNIX-like.

pixellany 12-15-2009 12:00 PM

Quote:

so I'd say Linux IS a Unix.
No---Linux is a Unix CLONE. Keep in mind that--when Linux started--all of Unix was closed and proprietary. Concurrently, the Gnu project was building clones of all the standard Unix utilities. It took Torvalds' kernel AND the Gnu utilities to make Linux (or--more correctly--Gnu Linux).


and of course remember what GNU stands for.......

malekmustaq 12-15-2009 01:44 PM

b0uncer, if Unix is not an operating system then this is the first time I hear that. The world knows it was. Well anyway, flashy definitions come from anywhere: it depends on how you define the word. If unix is nothing but philosophy then it would be wise for anyone to turn to philosophers to define what unix is: I remain here in the LQ and be satisfied with how books describe this well implemented kernel. :)

dv502, you don't need to go youtube, you can read linux source code at /usr/src/linux/kernel in your box

And btw, resetreset, I have run a solaris and the difference with GNU/Linux/Slackware is both few and many! :-) depending on what you look for.

Good luck.

jstephens84 12-15-2009 02:19 PM

I am a little unclear on BSD. If I remember during 4.4BSD they were forced to remove all ATT code as per their agreement on the law suit brought on by ATT.

According to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USL_v._BSDi (If I am reading it right) shows that BSD at one point was a Unix based OS (IE had the original source) but has since rewrote most of it.

However I still feel that BSD should be considered a Unix OS not a clone. However this can probably turn into you say tomato I say tamoto

beetleman64 12-15-2009 03:24 PM

Well to answer your question. Yes, you can try UNIX, but there is no operating system called UNIX anymore. AT&T sold the right to it around 20 years ago. However, there are still UNIX derivatives around.

Which you try depends on your knowledge. If you're fairly familiar with Linux then try OpenSolaris (www.opensolaris.com). If you consider yourself a bit on expert you can still try OpenSolaris but you may also try FreeBSD (www.freebsd.org). Beware, FreeBSD is command line intensive.

dv502 12-15-2009 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malekmustaq (Post 3792624)
dv502, you don't need to go youtube, you can read linux source code at /usr/src/linux/kernel in your box

I think you have misunderstood the youtube link I posted. The link I posted is a documentary called The Code Linux , a documentary on how linux came to be.

It's not a video of the kernel source code.

Click on the link and you will see what I mean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ycppO3gPE


- Cheers

chrism01 12-15-2009 04:53 PM

From the Wikipedia page on Unix (see Onebuck's link)
Quote:

As of 2007, the owner of the trademark is The Open Group, an industry standards consortium. Only systems fully compliant with and certified according to the Single UNIX Specification are qualified to use the trademark; others are called "Unix system-like" or "Unix-like".
Legally you have to pay to be certified as SUS compliant and be able to call your a system 'Unix' otherwise it's 'Unix-like'.
In practical terms Solaris/BSD/Linux (even MAC/OSX) are near-enough Unix; aka *nix.

fachamix 12-15-2009 06:41 PM

I thought that I was having a stupid confusion, but this post made a really interesting debate of the topic

onebuck 12-15-2009 07:30 PM

Hi,

A little searching;

Quote:

excerpt from 'What is UNIX and Linux?';

What is UNIX and Linux?

Posted on the December 5th, 2008 under Server Admin Tips by Stephen

What is UNIX?

UNIX is a computer Operating System. The Operating System is the software that makes your computer run. An example of another Operating System is Microsoft Windows.

Under UNIX, the Operating System consists of many programs along with the master control program, the kernel. The kernel provides services to start and stop programs, handles the file system, etc.


Brief History of UNIX

The first version of UNIX was created in 1969 by a computer scientist at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Kenneth Thompson within one month of coding when his wife was away on vacation. The operating system had four parts: the kernel, the shell, the editor, and the assembler. He allocated one week to each part and the code was in Assembly language.

The original name was UNICS which stands for UNiplexed Information and Computing Services. UNICS was later renamed to UNIX (UNIX is not an acronym).

Due to some limitations in assembly language, hard and not portable, another computer scientist at Bell Labs, Dennis Richie, created a new programming language called C to better continue improving UNIX.

AT&T experienced an antitrust case back in 1958 and was forbidden from entering the computer business. For this reason, they could not turn UNIX into a product and under the antitrust terms, AT&T was required to license its non-telephone technology to anyone who asked. Early in its development, word of the UNIX operating system and its advantages already spread outside of Bell Labs. UNIX was attractive to other organizations and universities for a few reasons [3]:

- It was the only powerful interactive system that could run on the sort of hardware that universities could afford in the mid ’70s.
- It was written in an attractive language, C.

When UNIX got into the hands of many teachers and students and individuals around the world, it got further improved and became popular since.


Images:

The computer the first UNIX version was created in, model: DEC PDP-7

Manufacturer: Digital Equipment Corporation
Year: 1965
Price: $72,000 USD
Power: less than a typical cellphone of today


What is Linux?

Linux is a UNIX clone. It was created at the University of Helsinki in Finland by a student named Linus Torvalds in 1991.

The Linux operating system is developed under the GNU General Public License (also known as GNU GPL) and its source code is freely available to everyone.
I suggest that you look at 'Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995' and 'History of Unix and Linux' to get more information.

'The Creation of the UNIX* Operating System' comes from 'Bell-Labs' so there should not be any questions;

Quote:

excerpt from 'The Creation of the UNIX* Operating System';

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.

'UNIX' is a philosophical operating system that has opened computers to the masses. You can use 'UNIX', 'UNIX-Like' or 'UNIX-Clone' as a operating system on your desktop, laptop and netbooks. I won't even get into the varied appliances that use a variant.

Don't take my word for it, read some of the history. I lived a lot of it and know first hand that 'UNIX' opened a lot of doors for me personally and professionally.

:hattip:

sundialsvcs 12-15-2009 07:54 PM

There's a lot of debate about "where to draw the line" when talking about operating environments. But here might be a good rule-of-thumb:
  • If an operating-system implements most of the so-called "POSIX Standard," it either is Unix or it is "Unix-like enough" that most programs will run as-is or can be made to run. Linux is very conformant to the original Unix standards.
  • An application program really depends on an environment of software to meet its needs, and therefore it does not really care about "the kernel" that is actually running the hardware show. If a compatible environment (set of libraries and the means to load them) exists, they're happy.
  • Many applications are far more operating-system agnostic than you might think.

malekmustaq 12-16-2009 12:48 AM

.
I congratulate the OP for posting a topic that is able to roll call some of the best members of the LQ --it is like a picnic seeing honorable names around :) and it emotes inspiration to everyone hearing from others.

Allow me to beg leave from this particular thread. I agree to agree and disagree everyone in peace.

Now lets go back to the business of helping the newbies. Good luck everyone.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:21 PM.