Is UNIX(TM) Multi-User?

[John Bell]

> In article <365 at pigs.UUCP> haugj at pigs.UUCP (Joe Bob Willie) writes:
> ...
>i recall reading once that dennis didn't consider unix
>to even be an operating system.

    I believe that the refered-to comment is in "UNIX Implementation" by
*Ken Thompson*, published in The Bell Systems Technical Journal, Vol. 57, No. 6,
Part 2 [July-August 1978] (the famous (first) UNIX issue).  In section 4.3 of
that article, Ken says (remember, refering to Version 7!):

"    There are some other things that the system does for the user - a little
 accounting, a little tracing/debugging, and a little access protection.  Most
 of these things are not very well developed because our use of the system in
 computing science research does not need them.  There are some features that
 are missed in some applications, for example, better inter-process
 communication.
    _The_UNIX_kernel_is_an_I/O_multiplexer_more_than_a_complete_operating_
 _system_. [Emphasis added by bell at fmeed1]  This is as it should be.  Because
 of this outlook, many features are found in most other operating systems that
 are missing from the UNIX kernel.  For example, the UNIX kernel does not
 support file access methods, file disposition, file formats, file maximum
 size, spooling, command language, logical records, physical records,
 assignment of logical file names, logical file names, more than one character
 set, an operator's console, an operator, log-in, or log-out.  Many of these
 things are symptoms rather than features.  Many of these things are
 implemented in user software using the kernel as a tool.  "

__________
The quotation is copyright 1978 American Telephone & Telegraph Company,
 and is reproduced without its permission.
UNIX is a (registered?) trademark of AT&T.

-- 
John D. Bell,  c/o  Ford Motor Co. Electronics Division - DPTC, Dearborn, MI
  voice: (313) 845-3040                 UUCP: ...!uunet!umix!teemc!fmeed1!bell
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