What is UNIX?

The word UNIX is often heard, especially in terms of computer articles and the like. For instance, Apple Inc. often describe their operating system Mac OS X as being 'UNIX based' but just what is UNIX? This article gives a brief summary as to just what it is.

What is an operating system?

Overview
UNIX is an operating system (or OS). Other operating systems that are more common are ones like Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS X and Linux.
The operating system's job is to manage the various processes that the computer has to undertake.
These are things like managing the computer's memory, disk drives, keyboards, videos output, among others.
If you wish to install some software, open a game to play, copy a document, open a word processor to type a letter or anything along these lines, then operating system is the thing that performs these things for you.

So why is UNIX different

The creation and birth of UNIX
It was in the late 1960s that UNIX was created.
It was created as a means to provide a multitasking and multi user system, primary for use by computer programmers. The philosophy behind UNIX
The idea that made UNIX come to be was that an operating system was needed that would provide powerful but simple utilities that could all be joined as one but in a manner that was flexible in order for it to provide a multitude of tasks.
The typical day to day management of UNIX
All UNIX operating systems have a main console.
This is connected directly to the computer that is running UNIX.
The console differs from other consoles that may be connected to the main system in that it is recognized as the operating system is powered up.
A lot of UNIX system operations, especially ones that could cause major data loss or corruption if used incorrectly, can only be performed at this console.
Usually this console is only accessible to UNIX specialists, people with roles such as system administrators or system operators for instance.
The future
UNIX is constantly being developed and is still used on a fairly extensive basis, be it from big businesses to educational establishments to government research laboratories as just three examples.