4 ms·

48-Year-Old Multics operating system resurrected

37 points by MilnerRoute 9y ago

brudgers 9y ago
Direct link to the Multicians website, http://multicians.org/ http://multicians.org/ and Multics source code http://web.mit.edu/multics-history/ http://web.mit.edu/multics-history/
agumonkey 9y ago
Just when the Xerox restoration is done, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEr2aRwHnI&index=17&list=PL-_93BVApb58I3ZV67LW3S_JEMFnDrQDj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEr2aRwHnI&index=17&list=PL...
oldmancoyote 9y ago
Having been compelled to program Multics, I am appalled that anyone would want to resurrect it. One of the happiest days of my life was when my employer got rid of it. I think they gave it to Iran. : )
- verri 9y ago
  Could you tell use something more about its flaws compared to other operating systems of the era?
  - oldmancoyote 9y ago
    Sure. While Multics was a wonderful operating system for folks who were into systems programming and similar activities, for those of us who were trying to write applications it was a nightmare. It was wonderfully flexible, but nearly impossible to understand from the application programmer's perspective. In reading the doc you'd find something you didn't understand so you'd followed the reference to the next piece of doc, and then on to the next and so on. After about 4 levels of this I'd have a headache and give up. For all it's problems the IBM 360 was much more accessible. Initially, the doc was of little use, but by this time, IBM has its act together and there were some truly useful docs. Multics, for all its brilliance, was nearly useless for many.
- jwfxpr 9y ago
  Is Multics like The Ring? You have to give it to someone else to free yourself of the curse?
DrScump 9y ago
Some may not be aware that UNIX was named as a sort of take-off on Multics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix
Animats 9y ago
Aw. Finally. I wonder if some of the Multics fans I once knew are still alive to see this.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Theodores 9y ago
24 year old website resurrected - not seen a link to Slashdot in a long time.

37 points by MilnerRoute 9y ago

Direct link to the Multicians website, http://multicians.org/ http://multicians.org/ and Multics source code http://web.mit.edu/multics-history/ http://web.mit.edu/multics-history/

agumonkey 9y ago

Just when the Xerox restoration is done, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEr2aRwHnI&index=17&list=PL-_93BVApb58I3ZV67LW3S_JEMFnDrQDj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEr2aRwHnI&index=17&list=PL...

oldmancoyote 9y ago

Having been compelled to program Multics, I am appalled that anyone would want to resurrect it. One of the happiest days of my life was when my employer got rid of it. I think they gave it to Iran. : )

verri 9y ago
Could you tell use something more about its flaws compared to other operating systems of the era?
- oldmancoyote 9y ago
  Sure. While Multics was a wonderful operating system for folks who were into systems programming and similar activities, for those of us who were trying to write applications it was a nightmare. It was wonderfully flexible, but nearly impossible to understand from the application programmer's perspective. In reading the doc you'd find something you didn't understand so you'd followed the reference to the next piece of doc, and then on to the next and so on. After about 4 levels of this I'd have a headache and give up. For all it's problems the IBM 360 was much more accessible. Initially, the doc was of little use, but by this time, IBM has its act together and there were some truly useful docs. Multics, for all its brilliance, was nearly useless for many.
jwfxpr 9y ago
Is Multics like The Ring? You have to give it to someone else to free yourself of the curse?

DrScump 9y ago

Some may not be aware that UNIX was named as a sort of take-off on Multics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix

Animats 9y ago

Aw. Finally. I wonder if some of the Multics fans I once knew are still alive to see this.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Theodores 9y ago

24 year old website resurrected - not seen a link to Slashdot in a long time.