UNIX: From Source to Standards
September 06, 2026
Explore how UNIX spread through source licensing and portability, developed into BSD and commercial UNIX branches, influenced independently developed systems such as MINIX, GNU, and Linux, and ultimately became defined through standards such as POSIX and the Single UNIX Specification.
Software Distribution, Freedom, and Licensing
August 30, 2026
Explore how software distribution and licensing developed through shareware, Free Software, Open Source, permissive licensing, and copyleft, and how Doom, GNU Emacs, BSD, Debian, Red Hat, and LibreOffice demonstrate the different ways software can be shared, sold, modified, and redistributed.
UNIX Becomes a Family
August 23, 2026
Explore how UNIX grew from its Bell Labs origins into a family of operating systems, how portability and source availability allowed it to spread, and how BSD, System V, and commercial UNIX systems developed along distinct but interconnected branches.
When Hardware No Longer Defines the Computer
August 16, 2026
Explore how networking weakened the connection between hardware class and computer function, how workstations and servers introduced role-based computing, and how operating systems increasingly helped determine what a machine could do within a larger system.
The Server Emerges as a Role
August 09, 2026
Explore how networking allowed the shared functions of mainframes and minicomputers to reappear on microcomputer-derived hardware, how server roles developed, and why those roles eventually led to dedicated server hardware.