Unix System Laboratories: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:23, 5 May 2018

Revision as of 15:35, 6 May 2018

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== Origins as subsidiary of AT&T ==

{{seealso|History of Unix|Unix Wars}}

AT&T announced the creation of the [[UNIX Software Operation]] (USO) – a separate and distinct AT&T business unit responsible for the development, marketing, and licensing of UNIX System V software – in January 1989.<ref name="signals-91">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UY0-AQAAIAAJ | title=... | magazine=Signals | date=1991 | pages=61–66}}</ref> This was done, as a subsequent press release stated, "in order to separate AT&T's UNIX System source code business from its computer systems business,"<ref name="pr-rosetta"/> the latter a reference to [[AT&T Computer Systems]]. USO included the AT&T Data Systems Group organizations responsible for UNIX product planning and management, licensing, and marketing.<ref name="pr-uso"/> [[Peter J. Weinberger]] was named chief scientist of USO while also retaining his job in the computing science research center at [[Bell Labs]]; no other Bell Labs assets were transferred to USO.<ref name="pr-uso">{{cite press release | url=http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1989/0104.html | title=AT&T Names President Of Unix Software Operation | publisher=PR Newswire | date=January 4, 1989}}</ref> The head of USO was Larry Dooling, who had been a vice-president in sales and marketing in the AT&T Data Systems Group.<ref name="pr-uso"/>

Unlike the original Unix work, which had been done in the Bell Labs facility in [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]], USO and the commercialization work was done a few miles away in [[Summit, New Jersey]],<ref name="negus"/><ref name="lat-novell"/>

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However USO continued to operate as USO until June 1990, when the reincorporation of AT&T's European and Asian Unix business operations as wholly owned subsidiaries of USL was completed.<ref name="signals-91"/> At that point the UNIX Software Operation was publicly rebranded as UNIX System Laboratories.<ref name="pr-rosetta">{{cite press release | url=http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1990/0625.html | title=AT&T Renames Unix Software Unix System Laboratories | publisher=PR Newsire | date=June 25, 1990}}</ref>

Again, a point of emphasis was to separate the Unix-based business from AT&T's hardware-based business.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0bqdMvDMv74C&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10 | title= AT&T's Unix unit spun off | first=Johanna | last=Ambrosio | newspaper=Computerworld | date=July 23, 1990 | page=10}}</ref> The subsidiaries were known as UNIX System Laboratories Europe, Ltd., sited on [[Ealing Broadway]] in [[London]], and UNIX System Laboratories Pacific, Ltd., located in [[Shiba, Tokyo]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xe-8gZ6FoIMC&pg=PA39 | title=AUUG Conference Proceedings 1992 | publisher=Australian Open Systems Users Group | date=Summer 1992 | page=39}}</ref>

TheDooling was named the initial president of USL, wascontinuing Larryfrom Doolinghis position at USO.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>

The initial president of USL was Larry Dooling.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>

These organizational changes were taking place in the context of the [[Open system (computing)|open systems movement]] and the ongoing [[Unix wars]]. In consequence, the pro-AT&T side [[Unix International]] (as opposed to the anti-AT&T side [[Open Software Foundation]]) declared that "In the last 18 months AT&T has made good on its commitment to treat UNIX System as the industry asset it is and to open the UNIX System V development process to the entire industry."<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>

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[[Image:USL office in Summit with room number.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Multi-part room numbers were characteristic of the AT&T heritage of the USL office in Summit]]

{{main|UNIX System V}}

One unit within USL, called the UNIX System V Software business unit and headed by Michael J. DeFazio, was responsible for the development of the UNIX System V base technology.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/> DeFazio had held a similar role within USO.<ref name="pr-uso"/>

The USO/USL staff was heavily involved in the creation of [[SVR4|UNIX System V Release 4]], which shipped in 1989 and was a joint project with [[Sun Microsystems]].<ref name="timeline"/> This work incorporated technology from a variety of Unix-based efforts, including [[UNIX System V]], [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]], and [[Xenix]].<ref name="timeline">{{cite web | url=http://www.unix.org/what_is_unix/history_timeline.html

| title=History and Timeline | publisher=The Open Group | accessdate=December 1, 2017}}</ref> There were additions and new innovations as well from both the AT&T and Sun sides. System V Release 4 debuted at the [[Unix Expo]] trade show in New York in November 1989, in the form of source code availability for it as well as demonstrations from Unix International of SVR4-based applications running on seventeen different vendor platforms.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41 | title=Hopes of Reunification Highlight Eventful Year for Unix Community | first=Martin | last=Marshall | newspaper=InfoWorld | date=December 18, 1989 | page=41}}</ref> End-user versions of Release 4 became available during 1990.<ref name="advanced"/>

Next USL engaged in an especially arduous effort into trying to satisfy the requirements of the [[National Computer Security Center]]'s [[Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria]] ("Orange Book") to the B2 level.<ref name="cw-sec">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a6P8XXI-B8cC&pg=PA32 | title=AT&T Unix to gain enhanced security | first=Johanna | last=Ambrosio | newspaper=Computerworld | date=October 1, 1990 | page=32}}</ref> This manifested itself in System V Release 4.1 ES (Enhanced Security), which also included generally useful features such as support for dynamic loading of kernel modules.<ref>{{cite news |title=Unix International reviews the Unix System V.4 story so far |first=William |last=Fellows |date= August 13, 1992 |publisher=Computer Business Review |url=<!--blacklisted http://www.cbronline.com/news/unix_international_reviews_the_unix_system_v4_story_so_far --> |}}</ref>

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Multiprocessing became the focus of the final USL-based OEM release of System V, which was Release 4.2MP, released in December 1993.<ref name="timeline"/>

USL continued the publication of an early Unix standard, the [[System V Interface Definition]] (SVID).<ref name="advanced"/> Moreover, the SVID became one of the bases for the more important, vendor-independent [[POSIX]] standard for Unix, which System V Release 4 releases also conformed to, as well as the later [[Single UNIX Specification]].<ref name="advanced">{{cite book | <!-- https://books.google.com/books?id=_kpsAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA33 --> | title=Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment | first=W. Richard | last=Stevens | first2=Stephen A. | last2=Rago | publisher=Addison-Wesley | edition=Third | ___location=Upper Saddle River, New Jersey | date=2013 | pages=32–33}}</ref>

USL produced many books documenting various aspects of Unix System V.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n91048302/ | title=Identities: UNIX System Laboratories | publisher=WorldCat | accessdate=May 6, 2018}} WorldCat lists "122 works in 297 publications in 1 language and 1,849 library holdings" from USL.</ref>

USL also provided some training and consulting services for Unix systems.<ref name="pr-finalized"/>

==Other software work==

[[Image:USL building in Summit library.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.625|USL had a library that was connected to the full AT&T/Bell Labs research system]]

{{main|Tuxedo (software)}}

Another unit within USL, called the Open Solutions Software business unit and headed by Joel A. Appelbaum, was responsible for other system software that in some way worked in conjunction with Unix.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>

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==C++ language work==

{{seealso|C++#History}}

There was also a languages department at Unix System Laboratories,<!-- https://books.google.com/books?id=9yMQAQAAMAAJ Dr. Dobb's Journal of Software Tools ... is member of the languages department at Unix System Laboratories and is the editor of the Standard for the C++ Standardization committee. --> which was responsible for the [[C-based language]] compiler and development tools used to build Unix.<ref name="pr-uso"/> Moreover it was responsible for commercial sales related to the C++ language, including development tools such as the [[Cfront]] compiler that had come from AT&T.<ref name="d-and-e"/>

Indeed the paper describing one of the first implementations of automatic instantiation of [[Template (C++)|C++ templates]] in a C++ compiler had as lead author an engineer associated with Unix System Laboratories.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Glen | last=McCluskey | first2=Robert B. | last2=Murray | title=Template Instantiation For C++ | journal=SIGPLAN Notices | volume=27 | issue=12 | date=December 1992 | pages=47–56}}</ref><ref name="m-and-c"/> And [[Margaret A. Ellis]], co-author with C++ creator [[Bjarne Stroustrup]] of ''The Annotated C++ Reference Manual'', an important publication in the history of the language, was a USL software engineer.<ref name="d-and-e"/>

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In the view of writer Christopher Negus,

"The UNIX Laboratory was considered a jewel that couldn't quite find a home or a way to make a profit. As it moved between Bell Laboratories and other areas of AT&T, its name changed several times. It is probably best remembered by the name it had as it began its spin-off from AT&T: UNIX System Laboratories (USL)."<ref name="negus">{{cite book | <!-- url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1D9WpeD5B_UC&pg=PA12 --> <!-- https://books.google.com/books?id=2BsFCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 --> | title=Linux Bible: The Comprehensive, Tutorial Resource | first=Christopher | last=Negus | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | ___location=Indianapolis | date= 2015 | edition=Ninth | pages=10–11}}</ref>

However Negus believes that in three crucial respects USL's actions – in continuing to release a source code product to its partners, in working to define industry standards such as [[POSIX]], and in making decisions on the direction of Unix based on technical merit not corporate advantage – paved the way for the rise of a Unix-like entity such as the Linux operating system, and that this beneficial historical role has been obscured by the SCO–Linux controversies.<ref name="negus"/>

==See also==