UINX is a class of operating systems which are derived from or based upon the original UNIX operating system created at Bell Labs in the early 1970s. Over the years, UNIX has been dramatically enhanced and modified. The dominate UNIX operating system today is LINUX, which itself has many different variants and derivatives. Linux is used by many Web sites and servers while Google’s Android, also derived from Linux, is the dominate operating system used on smart phones today. The Amazon Kindle uses a derivative of Android too. Many commercial versions of UNIX exist as well, including Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS (used on iPhone and iPad), IBM’s AIX, Hewlett-Packard’s HP-UX and Oracle’s (via Sun) Solaris.

For more information:

• A collection of articles describing the original Bell Labs UNIX operating system http://www3.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/vol57-1978/bstj-vol57-issue06.html

• A Linux document portal http://linfo.org/newbies.html

• An article describing the history of Android: http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/7/2585779/android-history