The Multicians web site presents the story of the Multics operating system for people interested in the system’s history, especially Multicians. The site’s goals are to:
o preserve the technical ideas and advances of Multics so others don’t need to reinvent them.
o record the history of Multics, its builders, and its users before we all forget.
o give credit where it’s due for important innovations.
o remember some good times and good people.
A great initiative, and a treasure trove of information about MULTICS, the mainfraime timesharing operating system that arguably influenced every single operating system we use today.
The little OS that couldn’t. The Pete Best of OSs. Apparently some people cannot let go of something way way after it’s sell by date is passed. It’s that one book on the shelf that someone thought might be interesting yet no one have read in 30 years. It’s that car someone parked 10 years ago and for some reason was never towed away. Like Minix, the sole reason MULTICS is even remembered is because it was the OS that, for whatever reason, was dumped for what became the industry standard. It’s the bad date you always remember because at that party you also met your future wife. It’s the punchline of a joke that think people are laughing with it. It’s that one person no one invited yet no one has the heart to kick out.
…. or the Saturn V … too big for a lesser future. Or the Concord … ahead of its time or any time. Or a tsunami that crashes once and leaves only ripples in it’s wake. Or the Alto … the inspiration for everything. Or the Amiga … so far ahead it got lost. Or Gulliver .. tied down by minnows. Or the giant whose shoulders we are all standing or or we would be stuck in the dirt. Or Turing … who set the test we cannot pass, Or Kennedy … OK better stop now.