Berkeley Software Distribution: Difference between revisions

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imported>Eric M Gearhart
imported>Eric M Gearhart
(Little more fluff in the first sentences, making it lighter for the average Joe)
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'''Berkeley Software Distribution''' is a derivative of [[Unix]] that was created by and is distributed by the [[University of California, Berkeley]], whose first official release was in 1977<ref name="Origin and History of Unix, C2S1">{{cite web
'''Berkeley Software Distribution''' is a derivative of the [[Unix]] [[operating system]] that was created by and is distributed by the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. The first official release of "Berkeley UNIX" was in 1977<ref name="Origin and History of Unix, C2S1">{{cite web
| url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch02s01.html
| url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch02s01.html
| title="Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995"
| title="Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995"
| date=retreived 07-April-2007
| date=retreived 07-April-2007
}}</ref>. Other derivatives of the original BSD Unix such as [[FreeBSD]], [[NetBSD]] and [[OpenBSD]] are also collectively known as "the BSDs."
}}</ref>. Other derivatives of the original BSD Unix such as [[FreeBSD]], [[NetBSD]] and [[OpenBSD]] are also collectively known as "the BSDs." BSD Unix and its derivitives have had a profound influence in the architecture and design of future operating systems, from [[Linux]] to [[Microsoft Windows]].


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 11:09, 7 April 2007

Berkeley Software Distribution is a derivative of the Unix operating system that was created by and is distributed by the University of California, Berkeley. The first official release of "Berkeley UNIX" was in 1977[1]. Other derivatives of the original BSD Unix such as FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD are also collectively known as "the BSDs." BSD Unix and its derivitives have had a profound influence in the architecture and design of future operating systems, from Linux to Microsoft Windows.

History

In the mid 1970s the Berkeley campus of the University of California became a hotbed of activity in the budding world of Unix operating system development. When one of the original creators of Unix (Ken Thompson) taught there during a sabbatical in 1975-1976[1] this also encouraged students at the University to hack away on a brand-new, revolutionary OS (operating system).

In 1977 the first Berkeley UNIX version was released, from a lab run by a grad student named Bill Joy (who would subsequently become one of the 'big names' in Unix and Computer history in general when he co-founded Sun Micrososystems).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995" (retreived 07-April-2007).