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UNIX NEWS July 16, 1975 Special Issue

by Jonathan Gray

The scans of UNIX NEWS John Gilmore provided are appreciated but the July 16 1975 "special issue" is very difficult to read: tuhs/Documentation/Usenix/Early_Newsletters/19750716-unix-news-special-issue.pdf tuhs/Documentation/Usenix/Early_Newsletters/19750716-unix-news-special-issue-darker.pdf Hendrik Jan Thomassen shows the copy sent to Nijmegen in: From UNIX to Linux, a time lapse of 45 years T-Dose 2016 https://youtu.be/boahlBmc-NY?t=2434 A transcription from the video: * * * * ***** * * * * ***** * * **** * * ** * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *** * * * *** * * * ** * * * * ** * ** ** * *** * * ***** * * * * ***** * * **** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Circulation 49 July 16, 1975 Special Issue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The contents of this "special issue" will be repeated in the normal July issue to be mailed the last week of July. NEW SYSTEM AVAILABLE The Sixth Edition - June 1975 of the UNIX system is now available for distribution to licensees. Commercial users should contact Western Electric for details. Academics can receive the new system for a service fee of $150.00. Normal distribution is on 800 bpi - 9 track tape. You need not send a tape. Just a check for $150.00 addressed to: C. W. Christ, Jr. Room 6A312 Murray Hill, NJ 07974 The tape contains a single file which extracts to 3 RK-packs or equivalent. These contain: pack0) The system except for /usr/source pack1) /usr/source pack2) Documentation in machine readable form Those who require distribution on RK-packs should send two or three packs along with their checks. The package also includes one hard-copy of each of the 19 documents. Among the new "goodies" are: 1) Separate I and D space for the resident monitor on 11/45s and 11/70s 2) Huge files (up to 16 megabytes) 3) A preprocessor for structured Fortran 4) TMG 5) A preprocessor for DC, with arbitrary precision 6) Many fixes and rewrites of system programs from "as" to "c" 7) Much improved comments embedded in system source 8) More graceful death on running out of resources and other crashes UNIX NEWS At the users' meeting in New York on June 18 it was decided that the UNIX NEWS will be irregular in format but regular in mailing. We will try to be in the mails by the last day of each odd month. Where, as in this case, a special issue is warranted we will mail it and include the contents also in the regular mailing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Address Correspondence to Prof. M. Ferentz Physics Dept. Brooklyn College of CUNY Brooklyn, NY 11210 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 year, 8 months

Dave Cutler recollection about Xenix

by Skip Tavakkolian

This might be interesting to some. It is a piece of a longer conversation between Dave Plummer and Dave Cutler (RSX11, VMS, WinNT) https://youtu.be/9K3eMzF6x28?feature=shared

1 year, 8 months

Found: 4.1BSD User's Manual Volume 2C Comb-Bound

by segaloco

Spotted this and ordered it on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/235246689392 After the link is a pretty nondescript comb-bound 4.1BSD User's Manual Volume 2C. I don't think I've seen comb-bound issues prior to the USENIX 4.2BSD set that introduced the Beastie cover. Does anyone know if there was a limited run produced by the Berkeley folks themselves or if this is more likely a one-off someone printed for themselves? Either way, this is an exciting find for the completeness of my library, this would leave 3BSD as the only VAX BSD version I don't have any Volume 2C papers in my bookshelf from. If this does prove to be issue from Berkeley or someone directly adjacent to them, the next thing I hope to figure out is if this has Volume 1 and Volume 2A/2B companions. I find myself curious because the 4BSD Volume 2C I have was following a plain Jane Version 7 Volume 2A/2B rather than also 4BSD 2A/2B, so whoever curated that set either got them that way or clobbered V7 and 4BSD docs together themselves. - Matt G. P.S. Would anyone be interested in some V7 binders? I'm not keen on acquiring too many duplicates so would happily ship them to anyone wanting an original set of the papers from back when. As a bonus, the binders have some nice numbered tabs separating the papers/sections. I actually have three such binders, two that seem to be stock V7 Volume 2A/2B and one that is V7 Volume 1 but slightly tweaked with some "local" pages (to my knowledge, local to MIT Lincoln Labs, they added stuff like the RAND editor). Just let me know, if I don't hear anyone speak for them in a month or so they're going to the CS department at the local uni, they've got a shelf with some 4.3BSD binders that could use some elder influence :)

1 year, 8 months

Re: Found: 4.1BSD User's Manual Volume 2C Comb-Bound

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Clem Cole > Stakrting with V6, Ken/Dennis masters a tape in research, and the IBM > shop is imaging that for people licensing the IP -- *i.e.,* everyone is > getting the same bits on their tape. Although with V6, the famous > "patch tape" leaks independently Actually, TUHS contains two microscopically different V6 distros: Dennis_v6 --------- v6root.gz, v6src.gz and v6doc.gz are a set of three RK05 images of Sixth Edition with root, /usr and documentation, from Dennis Ritchie. Ken_Wellsch_v6 -------------- v6.tape.gz is a copy of the Sixth Edition distribution tape which was sent in by Ken Wellsch. It notes that there are differences between the two, but hadn't investigated what they are. Here are some details: the source files for the kernel are identical, except for sys/ken/main.c, which has the following added in the Wellsch version: printf("RESTRICTED RIGHTS\n\n"); printf("Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to\n"); printf("restrictions stated in Contract with Western\n"); printf("Electric Company, Inc.\n"); (What clearly happened is that after they'd done some distribution, the AT+T lawyers made them add that.) Anyway, as a result, the binary system images 'rkunix', etc are slightly different between the two. Everything else seems to be identical: everything in /bin, /etc, /lib, /usr/bin and /usr/lib are all identical. Noel

1 year, 8 months

Another Find: UNIX Release 5.0 BTL Administrators Manual

by segaloco

Just got this one today, UNIX Release 5.0 Administrator's Manual, BTL version: https://i.imgur.com/hZW1C01.jpg (the one on the right, companion to the one on the left I've documented a bit already). First, an amusing anecdote of how I happened across this one. I hate Amazon. Like despise Amazon. I could go on for hours on the why, but the point is, I do not like Amazon. As such, I rarely, if ever, find myself looking at anything for sale on their site. At some point the past few years I did happen across an auction for the WECo equivalent of this manual on Amazon and nearly broke my anti-Amazon-ness to register and purchase it, but I resisted. It stuck in my mind but wasn't enough to change my opinion. Well, fast-forward to a few weeks ago, I'm recanting this tale to a friend of mine as we're loitering in the lobby of our music space. He's on his laptop so decides to search up UNIX manuals on Amazon to be like see all this stuff you could be getting, you should just get an Amazon account. We look through auctions for a while and it's mostly a chorus of "I have that already" or "That's not relevant" or "I could buy that for pennies on the dollar elsewhere" but then he comes across an auction with no picture saying UNIX 5.0 Manual or something pretty generic like that. No pictures on the main posting, but there is a link saying two copies available. That was the first I learned that a pictureless Amazon posting can then lead to specific auctions or sales that do have pictures, that stuff just apparently doesn't always show up in the search results? In any case, he clicks down into them and this baby pops up. Luckily I was able to avoid registering as he offered to just buy it for me and I hand him the cash. So the result is this document is in my hands due to a deal with Amazon a brokered through a friend so I didn't have to join their site. I still feel like I've done a deal with the devil but hey, uncovered one more obscure thing in the process. Now for some analysis: Only difference on the cover page, like the BTL User's Manual, is additional text indicating "Including BTL Computer Center Standard and Local Commands". Like the User's Manual (and the Release 3.0 manual and other internal/pre-commercial manuals) there is an acknowledgements and preface page prior to the introduction. Added commands compared with a standard issue WECo 5.0 Administrator's Manual include: Section 1: Holmdel: archadmin - archlist, archsched, archque, archinit, archshut - archive administrative commands Indian Hill: bsnap - bsnap - snap baud rate usage findi - findi - find file names corresponding to inode numbers linesnap - linesnap - monitor activity on DH11 or DZ11 lines newids - newids - descend a directory changing owner and group id on files pisnap - pisnap - monitor performance of the operating system snap - snap - monitor activity within the operating system tabsnap - tabsnap - snap system tables vault - vault - save/restore a file system to/from tape Piscataway: archsys - archsys - archive system ds - ds - directory scanner filesave.py - filesave - perform daily filesave procedure fsea - fsea - file system entropy analyzer fss - fss - file system scanner fwall - fwall - write to all users by pathname lacctcms - lacctcms - command summary from per-process accounting records xchng - xchng - exchanges ownership of files Section 8: Div 452 STD: atd - atd - a batch monitor atf - atf - make a job file atr - atr - run a batch job att - att - parse time specification The TOC additionally lists a "trouble.div" page, presumably Div 452-specific trouble reporting stuff, but the manual contains no such page. Based on front-back pages available it doesn't look like the page would've been ripped out or anything, so probably just not actually in the print run. The trouble(8) page in this manual matches one from a standard 5.0 manual. So takeaways here, looks like Holmdel, Indian Hill, and PIscataway may have all had their own backup/archival systems between archadmin(1M)(HO), archsys(1M)(PY), and vault(1M)(IH). There were quite a few enhanced performance snapshot tools in Indian Hill while Piscataway appeared to have some particular filesystem analysis tools. The section 8 at administration tools are interesting in that at(1) itself is also Div 452 as of 5.0, is not in the System V manuals at all. While at(1) then pops up in standard SVR2 manuals, these administrative pieces do not (at least what I've got on hand, they're neither in the comb bound red covered AT&T UNIX User's Manual nor the 5 volume set with the metallic looking alphabet blocks on the cover.) I don't have any SVR3 manuals to check, and my blue wall of SVR4 books I already moved to my new place, so I can't look in those right this second. I can't seem to find either Administrators Manual volume on bitsavers either, so can't check to see if these exist in later versions yet. Anywho, as usual, reach out if there's something in particular you'd like to know about one of these pages, otherwise this is going on the pile I plan on starting work on again once this move is out of the way (and hopefully the last one for a few years at least...) - Matt G.

1 year, 8 months

Re: HCR FOOBAR

by norman＠oclsc.org

Ron Natalie: Really doesn't look like much, just a bar. THey had put `HCR FOOBAR' on the thing with letraset or something but that all flaked off over the years. ==== Pfui, or as some spell it, foo. Norman Wilson Toronto ON PS: Lunchtime. Time to visit the pfuid bar.

1 year, 8 months

HCR FOOBAR

by Ron Natalie

I was digging around my desk looking for something and I came across a quaint piece of UNIX history. Many years ago HCR gave away “foobars.” They had a gold one, which Rick “Seismo” Adams won and a silver one that I have in front of me now. The ounce of silver was never really worth enough for me to want to cash it in (I think Rick promptly did so with his ounce of gold).

1 year, 8 months

Known Specimens of Pre-5ESS UNIX Telephone Switching Software?

by segaloco

Hello, my studies lately bring me to the question: Are there any extant examples of telephone switching software, built on UNIX, from the various parts of the Bell System prior to the introduction of the 5ESS and 3B20D? My focus veers earlier as some 5ESS/3B20D/DMERT technology is still in active use, that sleeping dragon can lie. What's gotten me curious is reading about 1ESS in a BSTJ volume I picked up, noting the particulars on how previous concerns of manual and electro-mechanical systems were abstracted into software. Even without surviving examples, were previous systems such as the 1ESS central control ever ported to or considered for porting to UNIX, or was the hardware interface to the telco lines too specific to consider a future swap-out with, say, a PDP11 running arbitrary software? Columbus's SCCS (switching, not source code) also comes to mind, although all I know that survives of that is the CB-UNIX 2.3 manual descriptions of bits and pieces. By the way, it's funny, I have UNIX to thank for my current experiments with telephones and other signalling stuff, what with making me study the Bell System more generally. It's starting to come full circle in that I want to take a crack at reading dialing, at least pulse, into some sort of software abstraction on a SBC that can, among other things, provide a switching service on top of a UNIX-like kernel. I don't know what I'd do with such a thing other than assign work conference call rooms their own phone numbers to dial with a telephone on a serial line...but if I can even get that far I'd call it a success. One less dependency on the mobile... - Matt G.

1 year, 8 months

etymology of yacc

by Douglas McIlroy

Steve, Was Yacc an original coinage, or was it inspired by a similar acronym for yet another whatever? The question is inspired by Yamoo, yet another map of Orion, which is mentioned in today's NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/orion-nebula-webb-planets.html. Do the two acronyms share a common ancestor? Doug

1 year, 9 months

SVR3 or SVR4 kernel sources for 3B2/700

by Seth Morabito

It's been a while since I asked, and I would be extraordinarily surprised if the situation had changed, but I thought I might try my luck one more time... The 3B2 is a dreadful computer, but nevertheless I find myself compelled to try to make the SIMH 3B2 emulation more accurate. The emulation for the 3B2/400 is probably as accurate as it's ever going to be, but the 3B2/700 has very clear and known bugs. One of the things holding back fixing those bugs is documentation in the form of source code. I have the leaked kernel source code for the 3B2/400 ("Version 2") architecture, but I have never seen any kernel source code that targets the 3B2/700 or /1000 ("Version 3") architecture. All I have are the system header files from /usr/include/sys, nothing more. If by some chance you have a /usr/src/uts tree for the 3B2/600, /700, or /1000, I would love to see it. It would refer to the system board using the code name "FALCON", probably with a lot of #ifdef's (at least the system headers do) -Seth -- Seth Morabito * Poulsbo, WA * https://loomcom.com/

1 year, 9 months

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