amen zwa, esq. on Nostr: I adore the #UNIX V6, not because it was the best #OS—far from it—but because its ...

I adore the #UNIX V6, not because it was the best #OS—far from it—but because its coherent, compact #design emanated from the kernel space out to the user space and beyond. The predictability born of #simplicity enabled an ordinary user of the PDP-11/70, like me, to understand and use the system, effectively.

More importantly, UNIX was created by #programmers, for programmers, to write programmes. Indeed, it was, at once, an IDE and a DSL.

Lastly, all those estimable characteristics were expressed in a kernel code that was compact and efficient, even if there were places where things were baffling to a novice, like I was then. But that tight code was small enough to be comprehended by an ordinary C programmer, like me, with a dog-eared photocopy of Lions's Commentary in hand, of course.

I miss those simpler times....