UNIX, Linux and the Key Differences
What is Unix?

All Unix, Linux and other Unix-like operating systems are families of computer operating systems derived from the original Unix System from Bell Telephone Laboratories. Today, the largest Unix descendent directly certified as "UNIX" is macOS by Apple. The original commercial Unix derivatives included HP-UX, AIX and SunOS, to name a few. The diversity and perceived incompatibility between various Unix systems led to the creation of interoperability standards including the Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX).
Unix is the original and most powerful and popular multi-user and multi-tasking Operating System. The basic concepts of Unix were originated in the Multics project of 1969. The Multics system was intended as a time-sharing system that would allow multiple users to simultaneously access a mainframe computer. Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and others developed the basic building blocks of Unix including a hierarchical file system and a command line interpreter for the PDP-7. Multiple generations of Unix systems were developed for myriad computers.
As mentioned, historical perceived incompatibility between the various early Unix systems led to the creation of POSIX and the Single Unix Specification. Historically, the rigid "standardization" approach led to the creation of various open source approaches to Unix including the Free Software Foundation (FSF), GNU and Linux. Unix programs were originally created around core design philosophies that included requirements like single purpose, interoperable, and working with a simple standardized text interface. Unix systems are built around a core kernel that manages the system and the other processes. Kernel subsystems may include process management, file management, memory management, network management and others.
Key Features:
  1. Unix is a multi-user system where the resources can be shared by various system users.
  2. Unix provides multi-tasking. Users can execute many processes at the same time (practically speaking).
  3. Unix was the first computer operating system that was written in a high-level language (C Language).
  4. Unix provides a hierarchical file structure which facilitated fast data access.
  5. Unix has built-in networking functions so that computers can easily exchange information.
  6. Unix functionality can be extended through user programs built on a standard programming interface.
  7. UNIX certifies compliance with a full set of interoperability standard, managed and maintained by the Open Group, which includes, not only the kernel, but the entire operating system.
What is Linux?

Linux is a Unix-like operating system created by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in 1991. The name Linux refers to the Linux kernel, the software on a computer which permits applications and users to access the devices on the computer to perform specific functions. The development of Linux was a landmark example of global, free and open source software collaboration. Many companies and similar numbers of individuals have released their own version of Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux Kernel.
Similar to Unix kernels, the Linux kernel relays instructions from an application from the computer's processor and sends the results back to the application.
Broader in scope than commercial Unix products, Linux has been installed on a variety of platforms including mobile phones, tablets, video game consoles, NAS storage arrays, routers and small embedded controllers.
Currently the world's largest and most powerful data centers and scientific research centers use some "flavor" of Linux.
The development of Linux is a stellar example of the power of free and open source software development and global human collaboration.
A Linux "distribution" is a release of a Unix-like operating system based on the specifications of the Linux kernel.
Key Features:
  1. Linux, like Unix, is a multi-user system where the resources can be shared by various system users.
  2. Linux, like Unix, provides multi-tasking. Users can execute many processes at the same time (practically speaking).
  3. Linux, like Unix, was written in C.
  4. Linux, like Unix, provides a hierarchical file structure which facilitated fast data access.
  5. Linux, like Unix, has built-in networking functions so that computers can easily exchange information.
  6. Linux, unlike UNIX, specifies only the kernel but not the entire operating system.
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An Interest Fact about the History of Unix and Linux
Multics

Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) was created by MIT, GE, and Bell Labs for the 36-bit GE-645 mainframe in 1964. Multics was written in PL/I (Programming Language One) and Assembly language. Multics was taken over by Honeywell in 1970. Multics was supported on the Honeywell 6180 machines which included security improvements including hardware support for protection rings, circa. 1973. Bell Labs pulled out of the venture in 1969 and some of the folks who had worked on Multics went on to create Unix. Multics development continued at MIT and General Electric while Unix development continued at Bell Labs. Honeywell continued Multics system development until 1985. At that time, around 80 multimillion-dollar sites were installed at universities, industry, and government sites. The French university system had several Multics installations in the early 1980s. As Honeywell dropped Multics support users migrated to other computers systems, most notably Unix.
Multics was issued certification as a B2 level secure operating system using the Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria from the National Computer Security Center (NCSC) a division of the NSA in 1985. Multics was the first operating system evaluated to this security level. Multics was distributed from 1975 to 2000 by Groupe Bull in Europe and by Bull HN Information Systems Inc. in the United States. Bull SAS open sourced Multics versions MR10.2, MR11.0, MR12.0, MR12.1, MR12.2, MR12.3, MR12.4 & MR12.5 in 2006. The last known Multics installation running natively on Honeywell hardware was shut down at the Canadian Department of National Defence in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on October 30, 2000.
The name Unix (originally Unics) is a pun on Multics. The U in Unix is rumored to stand for uniplexed as opposed to the multiplexed of Multics underscoring the Unix goal of simplicity.Multics greatly influenced the Unix operating system. Unix was originally developed by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, two Multics programmers. The influence of Multics on Unix is seen in many small areas including the command names. However, the internal design philosophy of Multics and Unix were very different. Unix focused on keeping the system compact and simple.
The last Multics release was version 12.6f in December of 2016 to support the dps8m SIMH-based simulator.
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