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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<!--Converted with LaTeX2HTML 2K.1beta (1.50)
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original version by: Nikos Drakos, CBLU, University of Leeds
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* revised and updated by: Marcus Hennecke, Ross Moore, Herb Swan
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* with significant contributions from:
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Jens Lippmann, Marek Rouchal, Martin Wilck and others -->
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE>3. What is Unix?</TITLE>
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<META NAME="description" CONTENT="3. What is Unix?">
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<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="unx">
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<META NAME="resource-type" CONTENT="document">
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<META NAME="distribution" CONTENT="global">
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<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" HREF="unx.css">
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<LINK REL="previous" HREF="node3.html">
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<LINK REL="up" HREF="unx.html">
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<LINK REL="next" HREF="node5.html">
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</HEAD>
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<BODY >
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<!--Navigation Panel-->
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<A NAME="tex2html175"
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HREF="node5.html">
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<IMG WIDTH="37" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next"
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SRC="../img/latex2html/next.png"></A>
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<A NAME="tex2html171"
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HREF="unx.html">
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<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="up"
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SRC="../img/latex2html/up.png"></A>
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HREF="node3.html">
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<IMG WIDTH="63" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="previous"
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SRC="../img/latex2html/prev.png"></A>
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<A NAME="tex2html173"
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HREF="node1.html">
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<IMG WIDTH="65" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="contents"
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SRC="../img/latex2html/contents.png"></A>
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<A NAME="tex2html1"
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HREF="../"><IMG
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ALIGN="BOTTOM" SRC="../img/latex2html/root.png"
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ALT="root">
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</A>
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<BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html176"
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HREF="node5.html">4. Some Basic Commands</A>
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<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html172"
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HREF="unx.html">Introduction to Unix &</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html166"
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HREF="node3.html">2. Introduction</A>
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  <B> <A NAME="tex2html174"
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HREF="node1.html">Contents</A></B>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
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<!--Table of Child-Links-->
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<A NAME="CHILD_LINKS"><STRONG>Subsections</STRONG></A>
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<UL>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html177"
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HREF="#SECTION00410000000000000000">3.1 Short Answer</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html178"
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HREF="#SECTION00420000000000000000">3.2 Long Answer</A>
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<UL>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html179"
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HREF="#SECTION00421000000000000000">3.2.1 My Opinion</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html180"
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HREF="#SECTION00422000000000000000">3.2.2 Another Opinion</A>
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</UL></UL>
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<!--End of Table of Child-Links-->
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<HR>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00400000000000000000"></A>
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<A NAME="unx-what-is-unix"></A>
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<BR>
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3. What is Unix?
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</H1>
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<P>
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What is unix? That's a loaded question.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00410000000000000000">
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3.1 Short Answer</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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The short answer is ``Unix is an operating system''. So is
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Gnu/Linux, which is often just called Linux. So are HP/UX,
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AIX, NeXT STEP (now called Apple Macintosh OS 10), &
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Microthought Winders (often called many uncomplimentary
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things).
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<P>
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If this short answer is enough for you, congratulations on
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knowing the value of keeping things simple. Now skip ahead
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to Chapter <A HREF="node5.html#basics">4</A> ``Some Basic Commands''.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00420000000000000000">
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3.2 Long Answer</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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The long answer is ``It depends on who you ask''.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="SECTION00421000000000000000">
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3.2.1 My Opinion</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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In my opinion, unix is a description of the function of an
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operating system. I even say that unix is an Application
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Programmer's Interface (API). Any operating system which
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implements the unix API is a unix; it's an implementation of
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unix. Gnu/Linux is a unix.<A NAME="tex2html4"
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HREF="footnode.html#foot51"><SUP>3.1</SUP></A> Gnu/Linux is often called
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Linux, but strictly speaking, Linux is a unix kernel, but
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not a whole unix operating system. There are many other
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implementations of unix. I can name original BSD, OpenBSD,
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FreeBSD, NetBSD, HP/UX, AIX, Minix, Apple Macintosh OS 10,
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NeXT STEP, QNX, & Lynx. There are probably others.
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<P>
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Now for some legal bullshit. ``UNIX'' is a trademark of
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<A NAME="tex2html5"
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HREF="http://www.opengroup.org/">The Open
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Group</A>. From what I can infer
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from their web site about their opinions of what unix is,
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they would agree with me that it's a description of the
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function of a family of operating systems, but they would
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also add ``that we have certified to be UNIX''. So legally,
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it's not a UNIX unless The Open Group certifies it as a
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UNIX. So a lot of those operating systems I listed as
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unices are not UNIXes. It's a thoroughly sad case of
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legalities getting in the way of simplicity & sanity.
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<P>
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Anyway, I say that if an operating system behaves like unix,
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then it's a unix, though not necessarily a UNIX<IMG
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WIDTH="31" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"
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SRC="img1.png"
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ALT="$^{(tm)}$">.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="SECTION00422000000000000000">
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3.2.2 Another Opinion</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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Another opinion, which I don't share, is that Unix is a
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particular product. HP/UX is another. AIX is another.
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Gnu/Linux is another. You get the idea.
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<P>
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Fine, except that there is no product simply called
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``Unix'' for sale today. You can't even point at a product
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that is the direct descendant of the original Unix that
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Ritchie & Thompson wrote at AT&T. Their Unix was <EM>the</EM> definitive Unix, the original, the one named Unix. You
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can't buy it today, methinks. And many of those that you
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can obtain today shared code with the original Unix. BSD is
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Unix as modified by students at the University of California
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in Berkeley. That's where sockets were invented. BSD
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branched into many implementations, several of which are
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alive & well today. Theoretically, each of those
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implementations has at least some of the original Unix code
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in them. Yet somehow BSD isn't a unix? Get real. I'm sure
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there are similar examples of cross-pollination between the
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other unix operating systems available today.
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<P>
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Another problem with the claim that BSD, Gnu/Linux, & the
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others are not unix is that it takes little effort to write
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a program that runs on all of them. There are enough
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differences that a non-trivial program requires a little
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care to be portable, but it's not like portability concerns
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affect the architecture of your program. All in all, it is
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easy to port code between HP/UX, AIX, Gnu/Linux, & the
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BSDs. This isn't an accident. Those products are
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implementations of a single idea of what an operating system
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should be. That idea needs a name so that when you ask me
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what kind of operating system I program for a living, I
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don't have to reply with ``I'm an HP/UX, Gnu/Linux, AIX,
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FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, QNX, & others programmer''. I
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say the name for that concept is ``unix''. If not, then
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it's POSIX, but POSIX is also a trademarked term with a
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certification schedule from The Open Group (together with
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IEEE).
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<P>
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So somewhat out of contempt for our legal system's petty
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concerns for terminology, I say it's all ``unix''. There
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you have it, in more detail & controversy than anyone with
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a sense of perspective would ever want.
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<P>
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<HR>
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<!--Navigation Panel-->
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HREF="../"><IMG
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</A>
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<BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html176"
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HREF="node5.html">4. Some Basic Commands</A>
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<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html172"
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HREF="unx.html">Introduction to Unix &</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html166"
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HREF="node3.html">2. Introduction</A>
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  <B> <A NAME="tex2html174"
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HREF="node1.html">Contents</A></B>
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<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
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<ADDRESS>
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Gene Michael Stover
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2005-07-07
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</ADDRESS>
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