In 1997, Dennis Ritchie supplied a set of DEC tapes that held a version of Unix from 1972 that was never released.
This version has been named V2 Beta by Yfeng Gao, who recovered the OS and has made it available for PDP-11/20 owners to try.
While the article focuses on the historical significance of the find, many of the comments underneath it highlight the confusing and erroneous narrative surrounding the use of Linux and Unix.
Linux is open source and free to use, whereas Unix is proprietary, with many users being charged a fee upon installation.
UNIX was developed in the 1960s and saw many iterations and reinventions, whereas Linux is a Unix-like operating system and is a fraction of the size of UNIX.
Linux is used as the kernel for Android devices, as well as many Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and is the basis for the Android operating system, while iOS devices use a Unix operating system.
The debate between Linux and Unix has been ongoing for years. While this article shines a light on an exciting historical find, it may not provide the clarity surrounding the topic that some may be hoping for.
