The presentation of UNIX at an IBM Research Center in 1973 was met with a surprisingly chill response, as Thompson’s nerves were met with polite applause and no questions. AT&T’s legal battles over distributing UNIX to universities were complex due to its monopolistic nature, leading to a bargain price of $150 for Katholieke Universiteit. The rise of UNIX user groups and ports to different hardware marked a key turning point, with Bill Joy’s developments on 4BSD paving the way for a more robust system and challenging benchmarks from VMS. The collaboration and innovation within the UNIX community during this time period set the stage for further advancements and widespread adoption.
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