UNIX

UNIX is an interactive time-sharing operating system that was invented in 1969. It was originally created to allow engineers to play games on their scavenged DEC minicomputers, according to the On-Line Computing Dictionary at:

http://wagner.Princeton.edu/foldoc

UNIX has powerful multiuser capabilities.

A powerful system, UNIX has long satisfied the requirements of demanding applications and engineers because of its architecture and features. Among the many features of UNIX are 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, preemptive multitasking, robustness, and networking capability.

Where UNIX and Windows NT part ways is with the diversity of UNIX vendors. With the Microsoft–Citrix announcement of May 12, 1997, Microsoft will remain the only Windows NT vendor. Conversely, there are hundreds of UNIX vendors with no “standard” flavor of UNIX among the different brands, which has hurt its market acceptance. In comparison to supported operating systems such as MS-DOS, Windows, or Windows NT, you’ll find that UNIX is quite expensive, with the exception of Linux. But despite the number of vendors and the cost, by 1991 UNIX had become the most widely used multiuser general-purpose operating system in the world.