Interview with Brian Kernighan (Linux Journal)

Interview with Brian Kernighan (Linux Journal)

Posted Jul 29, 2003 19:27 UTC (Tue) by Baylink (subscriber, #755)
Parent article: Interview with Brian Kernighan (Linux Journal)

LJ: Is it true that you suggested the name "UNIX" for the long ago OS,
Multics? What does that word mean?

BK: Yes, long ago. Multics was an acronym for something like Multiplexed
Information and Computing Service, and it was big and complicated because
it had many of everything. I suggested Unics for Ken's new system,
because it was small and had at most one of anything. (Multi and uni are
both Latin roots, so it was a very weak pun.) Someone else spelled it
with the letter X; no one can remember who.

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That's as close to authoritative as I've seen; I don't think Salus gets
any closer...?

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