A remarkable discovery has emerged from a University of Utah closet: a 1974 magnetic tape containing an early version of the Unix operating system. This find is more than just a nostalgic artefact; it's a tangible piece of computing history, offering a glimpse into the foundational moments of an OS that continues to shape our digital world.
The tape, believed to be one of only twenty ever produced of this specific Unix version (V4), was unearthed by the University's Flux Research Group, led by P rofessor Robert Ricci and researcher Aleks Maricq. The closet where it lay forgotten was a time capsule in itself, filled with old computer parts and personal ephemera. Intriguingly, the find also included a letter from Ken Thompson of Bell Labs, sent to a University of Utah professor, Martin Newell, promising to send the system once it was printed. This suggests the tape was indeed intended for the university, which possessed the necessary PDP-11 computers capable of running such early Unix systems, bolstered by a distinguished computing faculty at the time.
While it remains uncertain if this specific Unix version was ever actually run on a PDP-11 at the university, its preservation is credited to the late Jay Lepreau, who also played a pivotal role in the development of BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution), an OS that famously influenced Steve Jobs. Lepreau apparently recognised the tape's significance and saved it, ensuring its survival until this day. The University of Uta h plans to display the tape, along with its contents which are now accessible online for simulation and study, in their new engineering building set to open in 2027. This extraordinary find highlights the collaborative spirit of early computing and the serendipitous nature of historical preservation, allowing us to witness the 'seed to sapling' evolution of a technology we rely on daily.
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