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Short answer: Unix stands for UNiplexed
Information and Computing System. (It was originally spelled "Unics.")
Long answer: Coined in 1969 to describe a specific computer operating
system, the term "Unix" now covers a whole host of variations,
including Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris. The name was intended as
a pun on an earlier system called "Multics" (Multiplexed
Information and Computing Service).
That sidesplitting pun is the key to understanding
the acronym, since the word "uniplexed" doesn't seem
to mean anything in particular. ("Multiplexed" refers
to a communications system able to carry many messages simultaneously.)
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An
Open Source implementation of UNIX initiated by Linus Torvalds,
which runs on many different hardware platforms including Intel,
Sparc®, PowerPC, and Alpha Processors. Hundreds of application
programs have been written for Linux, some of these by the GNU project.
Linux's architecture like LNA creates a more reliable system. Systems
using protected memory and pre-emptive multitasking are inherently
more stable. Because the source to Linux is open source, it is easy
to customize and to update rapidly (total cost of ownership is also
low). This flexibility has enabled Linux to run on everything from
handheld and embedded systems to clusters of hundreds of servers.
LNA uses on the server side (Linbox NetServer) an industry- standard
platforms running the Linux operating system. |
