Xref: utzoo alt.folklore.computers:7563 comp.unix.internals:1179 comp.misc:10682
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!snark!eric
From: eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.internals,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Jargon file v2.1.5 28 NOV 1990 -- part 5 of 6
Message-ID: <1Ydnzg#6fNyr23fxBD30ZbOTr9Txc6Z=eric@snark.thyrsus.com>
Date: 1 Dec 90 23:01:26 GMT
References: <1YbxGQ#2fbT353y6xKD8DT83C4bFDpV=eric@snark.thyrsus.com> <1990Nov30.172512.5282@sctc.com>
Lines: 19

In <1990Nov30.172512.5282@sctc.com> Rick Smith wrote:
> What is the source of this nonsense describing Multics as the SECOND
> SYSTEM EFFECT applied to CTSS?

Um...Dennis Ritchie, I think, in a retrospective on the history of UNIX -- but
I can't put my finger on the exact quote. Dennis, if you're listening, can 
you confirm or deny this?

I will incorporate several of your corrections. Upon doing a context grep for
MULTICS it does seem that the references to it are uniformly negative. That
is unfair and was unintended; though I agree with the charge that MULTICS
became somewhat bloated and at least partly a victim of design grandiosity, I
also do think that it expressed some of the best thinking about OS design in
its day and doesn't deserve to be `sneered at' by anyone.

I will add some description of MULTICS's contributions to OS design to the
MULTICS entry. Thanks for your feedback.
-- 
      Eric S. Raymond = eric@snark.thyrsus.com  (mad mastermind of TMN-Netnews)


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