The s in /sbin stands for

#unix #shitpost

NetBSD is a free UNIX-like system with roots in BSD. It is good to always have alternatives - please consider following @netbsd and see what the #community is up to. #bsd #unix #netbsd

So I wanted to share with you this little project of mine. I delved into "retro-necromancy" and reanimated one very old UNIX utility called ile written by Robert Pendleton in 1988. I found it on one of the Walnut Creek source code CDs from 1994.
What it does is simply works like an input line editor (hence ile) for shells and programs that do not support interactive line editing. To put it simply, it adds Emacs-style keybindings like ^A, ^E, ^K, ^U and so on and command history that you can easily navigate.
Of course, these days it's hard to find a shell that doesn't support line editing.
But this little tool can still be usable, for example, with ed. It's nice to have Emacs-style editing in ed.
It can work like shell replacement or just run like a "middleman" between any given program. It respects terminal settings and doesn't get in a way. Keybindings are configurable.
Needless to say, the code from 1988 wouldn't run on any modern system. It was written in K&R style because there was no ANSI C standard yet! And #UNIX was quite a different beast back then.
So I ported it to modern systems, rewrote outdated bits (like sgttyb ioctls and brutal utmp handling).
Currently it builds and runs on #Linux, #OpenBSD, #FreeBSD and #NetBSD. Hopefully without too much bugs.
You can find it on Codeberg:
https://codeberg.org/chesheer/ile

our grenzland.club shared #unix server (check it out: https://grenzland.club/ ) has a #snac instance running that I have meant to do something with for a while.

talking about the #OSR LinksToWisdom wiki today I was thinking about how to actually get informed when something new shows up on there. Et voila: the @linkstowisdom account, which posts any changes to the wiki once an hour.

#ttrpg

#UNIX is not just an OS; it is the ultimate #IDE for #programmers. Arguably the best written introductory book on UNIX programming is "The UNIX Programming Environment", Kernighan (1983). This book covers UNIX V7, but I used it with 4.2BSD.

There is another jewel of a book of a similar kind, a free one to boot, by Prof. Ballesteros (King Juan Carlos University): "Introduction to Operating Systems Abstractions Using Plan 9 from Bell Labs" (2007). Prof. Ballesteros wrote this book to teach his CS students the fundamentals of good OS design.

Although almost no one uses #Plan9 today, it is alive and kicking. It even runs on Raspberry Pi. Anyone interested in OSs and likes the philosophical underpinnings of UNIX should take a look at Plan 9.

The other must-read book is his "Notes on the Plan 9 3ed Kernel Source" (2007). It is a Lions-style commentary.

Prof. Ballesteros has many Plan 9 related publications in PDF format.

https://lsub.org/books-papers/

PS—Those with a historical bent should also read Organick's "The Multics System: An Examination of Its Structure" (1980). Multix is the mother of UNIX, and Plan 9 is the grown-up UNIX.

@prahou

#plan9 is the grownup #unix

@AmenZwa

Important question time! This one is for my shell using #UNIX/#Linux friends.

We already know bash is going to win. The second place position is the most interesting one here!

Oh, and this is a VERY loaded poll.

We're moving our PDP-7 running UNICS version 0 into our new mainframe gallery space next week. Come see the original UNICS (UNIX) operating system running on real hardware where you can compile your own HELLORD! in the B programming language.

Like what we're doing? Please consider supporting us at https://icm.museum

#unix #history #museum

Alt...

A DEC PDP-7 running UNICS version 0.

Inspired by @leyrer at #gpn24, your new #doomscrolling addiction: https://man-ner.de
#gpn #man #unix #linux #shell #team23

#ed #edIsTheStandardTextEditor #edManManEd #Unix #meme #AVIF

Alt...

"Third World Skeptical Kid" meme top caption: "ed(1) bottom caption: "When I type ":wq" instead of "wq"

CREATE and DESTROY historical UNIX systems!

Are you curious what UNIX was like? Now you can experience it at https://unix50.org where you have complete control over your own UNIX system.

#unix #vm #history #retrocomputing #vintage #retro #computer #os