July 21st, 2024

A brief history of Dell Unix

The history of Dell UNIX, developed in 1988 under Glenn Henry, included releases like Dell UNIX System V 1.x and Dell SVR4. Despite technical success, financial challenges led to discontinuation in the early 1990s.

Read original articleLink Icon
A brief history of Dell Unix

The article provides a detailed history of Dell UNIX, starting with its development in 1988 under Glenn Henry's leadership at Dell. The first release, Dell UNIX System V Release 1.x, was based on System V Release 3.2 and included features like DOS Merge and Motif window-manager. Subsequent releases like DELL Station in 1990 and Dell System V Release 4 in 1990-1993 aimed to bring real UNIX to PCs, receiving positive reviews and industry recognition. The project faced challenges in profitability as Dell struggled to sell hardware alongside the UNIX software. Despite technical strengths and positive feedback, the project was eventually discontinued in the early 1990s due to financial constraints and market competition, with the last major release being Dell SVR4 Issue 2.2. The article reflects on the contributions of key team members and the legacy of Dell UNIX within the industry.

Related

X debut 40 years ago (1984)

X debut 40 years ago (1984)

Robert W. Scheifler introduced the X window system in June 1984 for the VS100 Unix server, offering improved performance over W. The system was stable, with the Laboratory for Computer Science already transitioning to X and developing applications. Scheifler encouraged experimentation and welcomed volunteers for documentation contributions.

Looking ahead to 30 years of FreeDOS

Looking ahead to 30 years of FreeDOS

FreeDOS, an open-source DOS implementation, marks its 30th anniversary on June 29, 2024. Created in 1994 as a response to Microsoft's DOS phase-out, it provides a free alternative for running programs efficiently.

30 years later, FreeDOS is still keeping the dream of the command prompt alive

30 years later, FreeDOS is still keeping the dream of the command prompt alive

FreeDOS, a 30-year-old public domain DOS version, persists for legacy applications on modern systems. Creator Jim Hall notes sustained interest despite uncertain future, emphasizing its significance in MS-DOS-compatible systems.

A look into Xenix, Microsoft's long forgotten Unix Operating System [video]

A look into Xenix, Microsoft's long forgotten Unix Operating System [video]

The video compares MS-DOS 2.0 and Xenix, highlighting disk space and hard drive requirements. The creator shares their experience installing SCO Xenix via floppy disks, setting up dual-boot on an old hard drive, and loading Xenix despite challenges. It also touches on limited OS choices in the 80s and Microsoft's link to Xenix, with plans to explore SCO vs. Microsoft Xenix differences.

The Commodore 900: A Look at a Rare Prototype

The Commodore 900: A Look at a Rare Prototype

A rare prototype, the Commodore 900, based on Zilog Z8001 CPU for UNIX workstations, was never sold despite OS porting. Commodore's focus on home computers and acquisition of Amiga influenced its cancellation. The C900's Z8000 CPU couldn't compete, leading to missed market opportunities.

Link Icon 9 comments
By @bluedino - 6 months
> The business rationale for Dell UNIX was to sell Dell hardware. But the majority of the copies of Dell UNIX ended up running on other vendors’ machines.

I wonder if Microsoft threatened Dell with price hikes (or offered price decreases) for their software if they didn't push Dell Unix

By @jamesy0ung - 6 months
For those interested in running Dell Unix, this is a good resource https://virtuallyfun.com/2020/12/01/dell-unix-on-86box/
By @rwmj - 6 months
Does anyone know what happened to Jeremy Chatfield (mentioned in the article)? He disappeared off the face of the earth around 2014, and I assumed may have passed away but I've not been able to find out.
By @ggm - 6 months
Dells run freebsd just fine. I've managed probably 25 years of rackmount Dell by preference. Not that I don't hate iDrac and how they wantonly reprogram the SAS hba.
By @arminiusreturns - 6 months
Dell is such a mixed bag on deep expertise like this over the years. I'll never forget working with the former head of their hard-drive analysis department; he knew more about hard-drives than anybody I've ever talked to, and he said they just suddenly shuttered basically the whole team out of nowhere, and lost much of the knowledge from that group.

They have awesome teams in certain time periods, and horrible ones in others. I haven't really dealt with them in a while since I've been doing ODM datacenters for a while now.

By @pharaohgeek - 6 months
What ever happened to the X.Desktop GUI mentioned in the article? I'd never heard of it before, and the Wikipedia article on it never mentions what happened to it.