Linus Tech Tips Discussion

 University of Utah team discovers rare computer relic (possibly the original UNIX operating system source code from 1973) Summary University of Utah team discovers rare computer relic, an old data tape that might contain the original UNIX Operating system source code from 1973 that was sent out to at most around 20 people from BellLabs. If true, this is the code that lead to the start of Linux and macOS.   The tape is being taken to Computer History Museum to see if they have a machine that can read it. They are driving it there because they are worried what the radiation from the scanners at the airport could do to the tape.       Quotes Quote Aleks Maricq, research associate in the Flux Research Group, discovered a version of the original UNIX operating system from 1973 that was thought to be lost. He found it while cleaning a storage room. Quote “I think UNIX before was only sent out to 20 people total, outside of Bell Laboratories, so it was rather scarce,” Maricq said. “The fact we found a version at all is pretty astonishing.” Quote Rob Ricci, a professor in the Kalhert School of Computing, said this particular tape was influential. It paved the way for operating systems like Linux and macOS. Quote “What I’m hoping for is to get a glimpse at what the humans did,” Duerig said. “I think the source code, especially source code with comments, which are… comments, the computer ignores all the comments, but the humans — us — we want to read them. You know, that’s like footnotes in the design.”   My thoughts I like seeing stuff about computer history and while I might never have used Unix myself, this tape could contain code that is a part of computer history but also world history.  Where would we be without Unix today? I hope they're able to get a machine to run the tape and we're able to see whats on it.  I do worry about how fragile the tape might be after all these years, specially if it was only put in a storage closet and not stored proper conditions.     Sources   https://ksltv.com/science-technology/university-of-utah-discovers-rare-computer-relic/853296/   Youtube where I originally seen the news.