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The classical UNIX licence plate1

UNIX, which does not stand for anything, is a class of powerful operating systems which includes BSD, Linux and Solaris, as well as the original AT&T and USL versions. The plural of UNIX is Unices, and UNIX is sometimes spelled with only initial majuscule because it is not an actual abbreviation.

UNIX systems are characterized by stability, wide hardware support, high performance, powerful security and extreme configurability.

Not all operating systems which would normally be considered Unices can be called that legally, in fact most cannot. UNIX is a registered trademark controlled by The Open Group and certification of an operating system to use the UNIX mark is very expensive and of questionable utility, Linux and the BSDs in particular do not take this route, even though the BSDs are actually purer in their genetic and historical "Unixyness" than most "certified" commercial Unices.

Throughout the Vistua Hub, the phrase "UNIX" is used to generically refer to all types of UNIX, even if they are not legally able to be called that, just as everyone refers to all bandages as "Band-Aids" and all health-tissues as "Kleenexes", for the sake of avoiding artificially cumbersome language.

UNIX and in particular the "4.3BSD" UNIX produced at U.C. Berkeley was hugely influential upon the then nascent Internet

Bibliography & notes

Ray, Deborah S., and Eric J. Ray. Unix Visual Quickstart Guide. 5th ed. Berkeley, Calif.

Peachpit, 2009:For an easy to understand introduction to the UNIX command-line interface, we recommend this book, also published under the title UNIX and Linux Visual Quickstart Guide.

Robbins, Arnold. UNIX in a Nutshell. 4th ed. Sebastapol

O'Reilly, 2006. Print.:For those interested in more advanced study of UNIX syntax and commands this book is indespensible, it is not however suitable for beginners. This exhaustive work is regarded as the definitive book on the topic.

¹ UNIX in general does not have a logo per se, individual unices often do such as the Tux penguin, BSD daemon and of course commercial Unices such as Solaris and SCO UNIX have their respective logos.

Categories: Unix, Software, Internet, Web

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