Software:uNETix
| Developer | Lantech Systems |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Platforms | x86 |
| License | Proprietary |
uNETix is an early implementation of UNIX for IBM PC systems. It was not a "true" UNIX, but was written from scratch for the PC without using any code from System V.
Overview
uNETix only supported a single user. However, it maintained closer compatibility with standard versions of UNIX than early versions of QNX. uNETix' multiple windows capability was possibly the first implementation of windowing in a Unix-like operating system.[1] Up to 10 windows were supported, which could each run independent tasks and could have individual foreground and background colors set with a special color command.
Published by Lantech Systems, Inc, uNETix had a list price in 1984 of US$130,[1] but was discounted and advertised at US$99 (200 USD today).[2] The minimum RAM requirement was 256 kB, but a 256 kB machine would only be able to support single-tasking; multitasking required 512 kB. It had an emulation environment for MS-DOS that could run DOS 1.1 programs in one window while UNIX programs ran in other windows.[3] Its major weaknesses were slow speed and lack of hard disk support. uNETix came with a full assembly language programming environment, and a C compiler was optional. Lantech claimed that the C compiler was the first available for the x86 architecture.
See also
- Xenix
- UNIX System V
- AT&T UNIX PC
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Whole Earth Software Catalog". https://archive.org/stream/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_1984_Point/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_1984_Point_djvu.txt. "This is the first product we know of that has implemented a multiple-window capability in a UNIX environment, improving the user interface of an otherwise notoriously hard-to-use system."
- ↑ "InfoWorld May 30 1983". 30 May 1983. https://books.google.com/books?id=4S8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4.
- ↑ "PC Magazine June 12 1984". 12 June 1984. https://books.google.com/books?id=amQldGdl9LkC&pg=RA1-PA231.
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