When Unix Landed - Computerphile

TL;DR

In the late 70s and early 80s, the British government encouraged the purchase of British computers for educational institutions. Universities adopted UNIX as their operating system, thanks to efforts by government establishments. The introduction of UNIX brought significant changes and challenges to the computing world.

Transcript

we're talking late 70s over to early 80s a crucial period actually for computers in many regards yes there was definitely a british's best britain first purchasing policy either for government institutions like radar establishments like the police all this kind of stuff and particularly for educational uh establishments the feeling was computers ar... Read More

Key Insights

• 🇬🇧 The British government implemented a policy to encourage the purchase of British computers for educational institutions.
• 👻 Exceptions were made for some universities, allowing them to have IBM computers instead.
• ❓ The support of the Royal Radar Establishment enabled the adoption of Algol 68 as a teaching language at Nottingham University.
• 👻 The introduction of UNIX brought significant changes to the computing world, allowing for multi-user programming.
• 🎓 Universities had to meet specific requirements to obtain a license for UNIX, including being a degree-granting institution.
• 👋 Bell Labs provided UNIX for a minimal cost, aiming to benefit the public good and avoid conflicts with other companies.
• 💌 The lack of internet and email in the 70s and 80s led to the distribution of information about UNIX through physical mail and meetings.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the British government encourage the purchase of British computers for educational institutions?

The government believed that since computers were expensive, it made sense to support the British economy by buying British-made computers. This policy applied to government institutions and educational establishments.

Q: Why were universities like the University of Newcastle and the University of Cambridge exceptions to the British purchasing policy?

The University of Newcastle was allowed to have IBM computers, and the University of Cambridge had its own circumstances that allowed them to have IBM computers as well. The details regarding the University of Oxford are unclear.

Q: How did the Royal Radar Establishment contribute to the adoption of Algol 68 as a teaching language?

The Royal Radar Establishment invested significant effort in developing a high-quality Algol 68 compiler for use in their institution. This compiler was compatible with their ICO machinery, which was also used by the university, allowing them to benefit from it.

Q: How did the speaker get introduced to UNIX?

The speaker visited the United States in 1978 and had educational experiences at universities like Oklahoma State University and UCLA. Prior to leaving for the trip, Nottingham University had already taken steps to acquire UNIX for their own computing systems.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In the late 70s and early 80s, the British government implemented a policy of purchasing British computers for educational institutions, including universities.

• Universities like the University of Newcastle and the University of Cambridge were exceptions and allowed to have IBM computers.

• The Royal Radar Establishment supported the adoption of the Algol 68 programming language for teaching purposes, benefiting universities.

• In 1978, the speaker went to the United States and visited universities like Oklahoma State University, where an Algol 68 compiler was developed.

• The introduction of UNIX to Nottingham University allowed for multi-user programming on underpowered PDP-11 computers.