ABSTRACT
One of the greatest advantages of the UNIX system is its inherent network-related structure. From its very beginnings, UNIX included a number of network-based characteristics that made it quite different from other existing operating systems. At a time when network technologies were in the very early stages, UNIX already provided certain network services and powerful tools to cope with network issues between remote hosts. From a network standpoint, the concept of UNIX was so well done that it allowed an easy integration of UNIX into network technologies. It is even more appropriate to say that UNIX and networking merged, making UNIX the core operating system in the new emerging network environment. Today, even after so many years of intensive commercial use, UNIX is still far from being considered an obsolete operating system. UNIX was the first commercially successful and available network-oriented OS, and UNIX’s use in networked environments was perhaps the biggest factor leading to the end of the supremacy of mainframe computers and gigantic OSs. Despite its advancing age, UNIX is still the leading OS, offering more than any other OS alone, and permanently keeping pace with newcomers.
