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Another great thing from the Apollo era! It’s amazing how a well-designed API can last.

majewsky 7y ago
That's like asking "Why are people proud to be using an Apollo-era pathfinding algorithm?". If it works, it works. The only reason that fashion is so fast in the tech world is that we have not really built many things that stand the test of time. Unix, for all its flaws, is one of these things. Also, the Apollo era has some of the most amazing engineering achievements ever. Don't know why you would need to look down on that.
simonblack 7y ago
Probably the same reason that most people still drive horseless carriages, like they have done for over 120 years. We haven't found anything newer yet that works as well in both cases.
bch 7y ago
50 years ago, Unix came from the future and showed us that less is more, and a good collection of composable tools can take you an awful long way. Along the way it’s evolved, demonstrating its flexibility and also suffered campaigns[0][1] by juggernauts like Microsoft demonstrating its durability. It (Linux - Potayto potahto.) runs every single super computer in the TOPS[2] ranking (500 entries) and has for the last 4 years. I don’t actually know what iOS is, architecturally, but we know Android is also Unix (Linux), so it’s everywhere, serving us pretty well. What’s not to like? What would you suggest instead? [0] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_... [1] https://www.cnet.com/news/scalability-day-falls-short/ https://www.cnet.com/news/scalability-day-falls-short/ [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500
- loolatrix 7y ago
  iOS is Apple's mobile OS. Basically a Unix derivate. ;)
  - psv1 7y ago
    This is like Steve Jobs announcing that iPhone runs OS X in the very first iPhone keynote.
    - tambourine_man 7y ago
      Which is true
- my123 7y ago
  iOS is a different OS but using the same Darwin core operating system, including XNU, the C library (+ a bunch of other ones) and launchd. Unix command-line tools aren't present except the bare minimum for crash dump purposes on release iOS. The full set of BSD tools is present on internal builds and they're installed while jailbreaking.
- pjmlp 7y ago
  Android is Java based frameworks + ISO C and ISO C++ standard libraries. The fact that is has Linux under the covers is pretty much insignificant and completely transparent to userspace.
m0xte 7y ago
It fits in my head.
enriquto 7y ago
Because it is great! Vaccines are older than Apollo, yet we still depend proudly on them. The written language is even older, and it is still the justified source of a lot of human pride.
tannhaeuser 7y ago
I've learnt to become proficient on the Unix command line and vi over 30 years ago (on the company's own System V port, no less!). Best investment ever! Not only is it the environment most suited for development tasks, it also is consistently present on all systems I've worked on since. Navigating around Unix has long become part of my spinal chord/muscle memory. I can't count how many times I've heard the "man, we don't do the command line thing these days" meme. Like in late 90s from Windows fanboys. Or in 2000s from Java geeks who only knew their Java IDE and nothing else. Yet here we are working with clouds, containers, and FaaS based on POSIX principles.
- pjmlp 7y ago
  Cloud and containers are based on OS/360 principles and ideas.
ekianjo 7y ago
Is newer always better?
damog 7y ago
Why would you not be though?
cycomachead 7y ago
People are not using 50 year old operating systems. It's not as if Linux or macOS today are the same as Unix even in the 90's! People are proud that certain ideas have persisted 50 years. People are proud because many things beyond Linux and macOS can be traced to Unix and the philosophy it holds, but also Unix's place in the broader story of computing history. Bell Labs, Thompson, Ritchie and many more played foundational roles. Like any other anniversary, it's nice to look back and reflect and celebrate.
kbumsik 7y ago
Because the great idea never gets old.
mseepgood 7y ago
Because the Apollo era was awesome.
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Sneaky edit :p It's not an Apollo era OS though, any more than a new car is a 50 year old car. They're both recognisably the same thing, but worlds apart - and have grown hugely in weight, power and included extras. I'm quite happy to find I don't have to keep relearning the basics of either. Whether car pedals in same place each time, or ps switches.

That's like asking "Why are people proud to be using an Apollo-era pathfinding algorithm?". If it works, it works. The only reason that fashion is so fast in the tech world is that we have not really built many things that stand the test of time. Unix, for all its flaws, is one of these things. Also, the Apollo era has some of the most amazing engineering achievements ever. Don't know why you would need to look down on that.

simonblack 7y ago

Probably the same reason that most people still drive horseless carriages, like they have done for over 120 years. We haven't found anything newer yet that works as well in both cases.

bch 7y ago

50 years ago, Unix came from the future and showed us that less is more, and a good collection of composable tools can take you an awful long way. Along the way it’s evolved, demonstrating its flexibility and also suffered campaigns[0][1] by juggernauts like Microsoft demonstrating its durability. It (Linux - Potayto potahto.) runs every single super computer in the TOPS[2] ranking (500 entries) and has for the last 4 years. I don’t actually know what iOS is, architecturally, but we know Android is also Unix (Linux), so it’s everywhere, serving us pretty well. What’s not to like? What would you suggest instead? [0] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_... [1] https://www.cnet.com/news/scalability-day-falls-short/ https://www.cnet.com/news/scalability-day-falls-short/ [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500

loolatrix 7y ago
iOS is Apple's mobile OS. Basically a Unix derivate. ;)
- psv1 7y ago
  This is like Steve Jobs announcing that iPhone runs OS X in the very first iPhone keynote.
  - tambourine_man 7y ago
    Which is true
my123 7y ago
iOS is a different OS but using the same Darwin core operating system, including XNU, the C library (+ a bunch of other ones) and launchd. Unix command-line tools aren't present except the bare minimum for crash dump purposes on release iOS. The full set of BSD tools is present on internal builds and they're installed while jailbreaking.
pjmlp 7y ago
Android is Java based frameworks + ISO C and ISO C++ standard libraries. The fact that is has Linux under the covers is pretty much insignificant and completely transparent to userspace.

m0xte 7y ago

It fits in my head.

enriquto 7y ago

Because it is great! Vaccines are older than Apollo, yet we still depend proudly on them. The written language is even older, and it is still the justified source of a lot of human pride.

tannhaeuser 7y ago

I've learnt to become proficient on the Unix command line and vi over 30 years ago (on the company's own System V port, no less!). Best investment ever! Not only is it the environment most suited for development tasks, it also is consistently present on all systems I've worked on since. Navigating around Unix has long become part of my spinal chord/muscle memory. I can't count how many times I've heard the "man, we don't do the command line thing these days" meme. Like in late 90s from Windows fanboys. Or in 2000s from Java geeks who only knew their Java IDE and nothing else. Yet here we are working with clouds, containers, and FaaS based on POSIX principles.

pjmlp 7y ago
Cloud and containers are based on OS/360 principles and ideas.

ekianjo 7y ago

Is newer always better?

damog 7y ago

Why would you not be though?

cycomachead 7y ago

People are not using 50 year old operating systems. It's not as if Linux or macOS today are the same as Unix even in the 90's! People are proud that certain ideas have persisted 50 years. People are proud because many things beyond Linux and macOS can be traced to Unix and the philosophy it holds, but also Unix's place in the broader story of computing history. Bell Labs, Thompson, Ritchie and many more played foundational roles. Like any other anniversary, it's nice to look back and reflect and celebrate.

kbumsik 7y ago

Because the great idea never gets old.

mseepgood 7y ago

Because the Apollo era was awesome.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

Sneaky edit :p It's not an Apollo era OS though, any more than a new car is a 50 year old car. They're both recognisably the same thing, but worlds apart - and have grown hugely in weight, power and included extras. I'm quite happy to find I don't have to keep relearning the basics of either. Whether car pedals in same place each time, or ps switches.