On Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 7:59 AM Dan Cross <crossd@gmail.com> wrote:

> Btw, the answer for #16 is `cagbef`: but `g` is not an option. I would
> think the answer would be `cafbde`. Apparently in the original, option
> '(d)' is missing; one imagines that was to trick the unwary who failed to
> adequately read the question.
>

I think this is wrong:
16. Q:  Sort the following into chronological order: a) PWB 1.2, b) V7, c)
Whirlwind, d) System V, e) 4.2BSD, f) MERT.
A: cagbef
Whirlwind is a ringer.

So the MERT ACM paper is 1975. The BSTJ is July/Aug 1978 (received Feb
1978). Somewhere I read (don't have a handy reference for it) that MERT
ported V4 as a supervisor process which puts it in 1974 or so. In any
event, this predates everything except Whirlwind which I can't find a paper
for.
PWB 1.2 is based on V6 + stuff. PWB 1.0 was released 1977, but we don't
have an extant 1.2 tape to verify dates with, but 1978 wouldn't be
unreasonable.
We know 7th Edition was released Jan 1979 (PWB 2.0 was released, 1980
sometime)
System V was released January 1983
4.2BSD was released September 1983 (4.1c was released in 1982 though :)

So that would make the right answer c f a b d e

Even DMERT for the 3B20 was released in January 1983 (or the IEEE paper for
it was released then), so it can't be last.

I also have questions about this:

81. Q:  What was the first Unix network?
A: spider
You thought it was Datakit, didn't you? But Sandy Fraser had an earlier
project.

When did Alexander G Fraser's spider cell network happen? For that matter,
when did Datakit happen? I can't find references to either start date on
line (nor anything on spider except for references to it in Dr Fraser's
bio). I can find references to Datakit in 1978 or so.

I  thought the answer was "ARPANET" since we had a NCP on 4th edition Unix
in late 1974 or early 1975 from the University of Illinois dating from that
time (the code in TUHS appears to be based on V6 + a number of patches).

Warner


>         - Dan C.
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 4:32 AM Rob Pike <robpike@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The answers are up:
>>
>> https://commandcenter.blogspot.com/2020/01/unix-quiz-answers.html
>>
>> -rob
>>
>>