Very Computer

It's only a curiosity but I want to know what means the "x" in the
words "Unix", "Linux" (perhaps "Vax" too?). Do you know the why of
this character?. Do you know the history of this sufix?. And when can
we put the sufix "x" in a specific operative system or something
else?.

Thanks in advance,
Xan.

"It is not an acronym, but is a pun on "Multics".  Multics is a
large operating system that was being developed shortly before
UNIX was created.  Brian Kernighan is credited with the name."

UNIX == "UNiplexed Information and Computing System" and originally
spelled as "Unics". Linux comes in part from "Linus" (creator) and
a play on "unix". additionally, to be very gnu'y: "Linux Is Not UniX"

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Michael J. Tobler: motorcyclist, surfer,  #    Black holes result
 skydiver, and author: "Inside Linux",     #   when God divides the  
 "C++ HowTo", "C++ Unleashed"              #     universe by zero

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In the late sixties, some people wrote a quick OS for a project
at AT&T Bell Labs. Ken Thompson, Brian Kernighan, and Dennis
Ritchie were the most famous people among them. I know of two reasons
why they wrote the OS:
1. To play a space game.
2. To write a patent processing system.
They chose the name Unix based on Multics.

I was some three years old during that time, I was living behind
the Iron Curtain, so maybe my memory and information doesn't
serve me very well.

I have no idea about what Vax abbreviates (despite that a Vax/VMS
box is sitting under my desk).

Quote:> I have no idea about what Vax abbreviates (despite that a Vax/VMS
> box is sitting under my desk).

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci214141,00.html

                tony

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[ snip ]

Quote:> Linux comes in part from "Linus" (creator) and a play on "unix".
> additionally, to be very gnu'y: "Linux Is Not UniX"

As a side note, one of the potential names for Linus' OS was "freax": A
pun on "freaks" with (in Linus' words) "the obligatory X."  So there is
a definite argument that tacking an X to the end of a name is just
downright trendy... =)

HTH
Tim Hammerquist
--
Not that I'm against sneaking some notions into people's heads upon
occasion.  (Or blasting them in outright.)

IIRC multics never got off the ground - it was a multi million dollar,
several man-decade white elephant, while "unix" was written in a couple of
months on the proverbial shoestring. Also IIRC, the system originally meant
to run multics eventually ran unix...

Cheers,
MvdW

But I have more related questions:

1) mjt, what is the FAQ from which you obtain this information. Can
you give me its references?. I want for not disturb anyone with
questions that there are in this FAQ.

2) It remains the question of when can we put the sufix "x" in a
specific operative system or something else?.

I think that, nowadays, the "x" is putting only to operative systems
which are derivates/clonics/modifications... of the UNIX systems (for
example LINUX, minix, ...). Is this true?. Or we can put this sufix to
any "Computing System" (remember UNIX == "UNiplexed Information and
Computing System")?.

Is there a stantard nomenclature about the x?

Thank you another time,
Xan.

obviously (or maybe not), http://www.google.com/ is a good
place to start.

Quote:> 2) It remains the question of when can we put the sufix "x" in a
> specific operative system or something else?.

Quote:> I think that, nowadays, the "x" is putting only to operative systems
> which are derivates/clonics/modifications... of the UNIX systems (for
> example LINUX, minix, ...). Is this true?. Or we can put this sufix to
> any "Computing System" (remember UNIX == "UNiplexed Information and
> Computing System")?.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Michael J. Tobler: motorcyclist, surfer,  #    Black holes result
 skydiver, and author: "Inside Linux",     #   when God divides the  
 "C++ HowTo", "C++ Unleashed"              #     universe by zero

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Quote:> Thank you, all of you.
> Now I know the meaning of the "x" in this words.

Quote:> 2) It remains the question of when can we put the sufix "x" in a
> specific operative system or something else?.
...
> Is there a stantard nomenclature about the x?

--

http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, networking, & multi-OS configuration

...

Quote:> 2) It remains the question of when can we put the sufix "x" in a
> specific operative system or something else?.

> I think that, nowadays, the "x" is putting only to operative systems
> which are derivates/clonics/modifications... of the UNIX systems (for
> example LINUX, minix, ...). Is this true?. Or we can put this sufix to
> any "Computing System" (remember UNIX == "UNiplexed Information and
> Computing System")?.

> Is there a stantard nomenclature about the x?

I remember in the late 1980s talking to an Attorney about choosing a name
for
a new company.  He told me he wouldn't waste either of our time doing a
search on any name that ended in the letter x.  He said "Forget it - those
names
have all been taken."  And we were talking about inventing new words!  Arix,
xiox, etc.
 - words that had never been uttered  before 1985 or so.  He had come up
empty so many times trying to find available words ending in "x" for his
clients
that he gave up.

Of course now many of those companies are out of business or have been
bought out, but some of the names are still trademarks owned by
companies who bought them out.

More recently I noticed this phenomenon with the company name Verifone.  It
was such
a "cool, trendy" name that many people wanted to imitate it - Verisign,
Vodafone and
others.  It also had more than a little bit to do with how ubiquitous the
name
Verifone is - it's hard to miss their credit card terminals and printers in
every imaginable
store (at least in most parts of the USA).

Quote:

> Do a google search on "history of unix". The real story is a bit more
> interesting than this, but you've got the basic facts right.

> IIRC multics never got off the ground - it was a multi million dollar,
> several man-decade white elephant,

--
Russ Lyttle - Not powered by ActiveX
Please visit <http://home.earthlink.net> for OBD-II
information and links.

IAC, other than a strong, flame-ridden disagreement between Minix'
creator and Linus himself, <http://dict.org> yields:

  --- [from foldoc] ---
  Linux

    <operating system> ("Linus Unix") /li'nuks/ (but see below) An
    implementation of the {Unix} {kernel} originally written from
    scratch with no proprietary code.

    ...

(and for good measure:)

    The pronunciation of "Linux" has been a matter of much debate.
    Many, including Torvalds, insist on the short I pronunciation
    /li'nuks/ because "Linus" has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's
    family is part of Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus
    considers English short /i/ to be closer to /ee/ than English long
    /i:/ dipthong.  This is consistent with the short I in words like
    "linen".  This doesn't stop others demanding a long I /li:'nuks/
    following the english pronunciation of "Linus" and "minus".
    Others say /li'niks/ following {Minix}, which Torvalds was working
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    on before Linux.

So I can't say this is conclusive.  I'm sure Linus must have said at
some point, but I can't find it.  =)

Also, according to Linus' book, he disavows all responsibility of naming
the software, blaming instead Ari Lemke, who preferred "Linux" to
"Freax" and was the one responsible for naming the ftp subdirectory
where Linux became available.  If Linus had had his way, we wouldn't
have this debate at all!

  "Just for Fun", Torvalds & Diamond, p.84:
      Honest: I didn't want to ever release it under the name Linux
    because it was too egotistical.  What was the name I reserved for
    any eventual release?  Freax.  (Get it? Freaks with the requisite
    X.) ...

HTH
Tim Hammerquist
--
If only the Earthlings appreciated life as we
do, I would not have to kill so many of them.
    -- Jovian soldier, "Martian Successor: Nadesico"

Quote:> OSs are named whatever their creators (or their bosses) want to call
> them. The "x" that ends most UNIX-style OS names is just a trendy way
> to suggest a relationship; but there's no OS-naming police force
> that'll swoop down upon you if you end the name of some non-UNIX OS
> with "x." For that matter, some UNIX-like OSs (FreeBSD, Solaris, etc.)
> don't use the "x" in their names at all. Don't make too big a deal out
> of this naming trend (it's not even a convention, IMHO). OTOH, using a
> name that's too similar to UNIX, Linux, or some similar OS's name could
> cause confusion, and the trailing "x" is certainly part of that.

Vilmos

<snip interesting text>

For the "correct" pronunciation of "Linux", there's a couple of sound bites
at http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/ .

Cheers,
MvdW