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UNIX Family Tree

This interactive visualization shows how UNIX evolved from its origins at Bell Labs in 1969 into different branches including BSD, System V, and how Linux emerged as a separate but compatible system.

About This Visualization

The UNIX operating system has one of the most influential family trees in computing history. From a single research project at Bell Labs, it spawned an entire ecosystem of operating systems that power everything from smartphones to supercomputers.

Color Legend

Color Category Description
Blue Original UNIX The foundational UNIX created at Bell Labs
Purple BSD Variants Berkeley Software Distribution and derivatives
Red System V Commercial UNIX from AT&T and licensees
Green GNU/Linux Free and open-source GNU tools plus Linux kernel

Key Historical Events

1969: The Beginning

Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie created UNIX at Bell Labs. It introduced revolutionary concepts like hierarchical file systems, the C programming language, and the "everything is a file" philosophy.

1977: BSD Emerges

UC Berkeley created BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), adding innovations like the vi editor, C shell, and crucially, the TCP/IP networking stack that would become the foundation of the internet.

1983: Two Major Forks

  • System V: AT&T released their commercial UNIX standard
  • GNU Project: Richard Stallman started the free software movement, creating tools that would later combine with Linux

1991: Linux Changes Everything

Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel. Combined with GNU tools, it created a complete free operating system that would eventually dominate servers, supercomputers, and mobile devices.

Modern Descendants

  • macOS: Apple's desktop OS, based on FreeBSD and the Mach kernel
  • Android: Google's mobile OS, running on a modified Linux kernel
  • Ubuntu: The most popular desktop Linux distribution
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux: The leading commercial Linux distribution

Learning Objectives

After using this visualization, you should be able to:

  • Identify the major branches of the UNIX family tree
  • Explain how BSD and System V differ in their heritage
  • Understand why Linux is "Unix-like" but not technically UNIX
  • Recognize how modern operating systems trace their lineage to 1969

How to Use

  1. Click on any node to see detailed information about that operating system
  2. Hover over nodes to highlight them
  3. Use the navigation buttons to pan and zoom the diagram
  4. Notice the arrows showing inheritance and influence between systems