Multics

Multics ( Multiplexed Information and Computing Service; German literally: Bundled information and computing service ) is an operating system for mainframes.

From the development of the MIT Compatible Time - Sharing System ( CTSS ) was created under the leadership of Fernando José Corbato, through his work in the field of Multiple Access Computers, Multics. It was developed in 1963 in collaboration of MIT, General Electric and Bell Labs of AT & T. The development was funded by the ARPA. The system is written in the programming language PL / I. In 1969, the first system at MIT was available.

The first commercial system was marketed by Honeywell Information Systems, Inc. on a Honeywell 6180 until 1986, the last system was installed. On October 30, 2000 at 17:08, the last still running Multics system of the Canadian Department of National Defence in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was shut down Canada and decommissioned. The only Multics installation in Germany between 1984 and 1991 at the University of Mainz in operation.

Multics was the forerunner for the development of Unix ( see also history of Unix ). On 14 November 2007 the Multics source code of Bull were published under the MIT license.