From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,T_SCC_BODY_TEXT_LINE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 24833 invoked from network); 9 Mar 2022 02:09:30 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 9 Mar 2022 02:09:30 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 6FF059D5EB; Wed, 9 Mar 2022 12:09:26 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5AE4C9D55D; Wed, 9 Mar 2022 12:07:01 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=dartmouth.edu header.i=@dartmouth.edu header.b="zsWCVPKX"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id C44489D55D; Wed, 9 Mar 2022 12:06:58 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-qt1-f180.google.com (mail-qt1-f180.google.com [209.85.160.180]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3D89A9D55B for ; Wed, 9 Mar 2022 12:06:57 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-qt1-f180.google.com with SMTP id a1so761951qta.13 for ; Tue, 08 Mar 2022 18:06:57 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=dartmouth.edu; s=google1; h=mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=1GQXKy3OTFUEs1DgQpWm6k3XUP6AeJI4QxnndfzNwpc=; b=zsWCVPKXZeQnYgoxZyKsRjbovrICmBw7uDsBV0RAPFpkD5kDM//pLw3iNJBqettIBK 3g72t+048HpklTUCy5YEq7s419Z5Uhw4bhT72nXT1aabf4opuSQFDOfrJd4oCqye6SBA 523dRBk2N3/iLDAjIdXCqaUYtyhTgo1RtxeXZPuGSmeRBZbhFa2MQcizFQ2G70E6OHFn Lh8Z2knv1Kzg6FWjv/C4BIFNaXy7+PyMH/3DQ3UkGnyqSXw/pEggdy6w/5/8ILIp9X1l 3s+5tVGdyuoZyYqefpgjDncUQe8ceIizIOPR2MUg+dnEWAQFBQJ1FQxkXnN+JIDRu7Dk Z6Xg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20210112; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=1GQXKy3OTFUEs1DgQpWm6k3XUP6AeJI4QxnndfzNwpc=; b=vCj/t6gA4JQpoT4Spb4jrjYxGl7cc6HI1xGK7G4XdsMV2PBMfExkp2ySBwljGN4fAs DRQPXY5zq38HhycsAk60tFeFdy0CCfdXI6XXGRPxUnnd868PabAfz5us9DeMfuor8qy8 o2CjKEoe2f5/i4KUggeNLBhDDCVauqyT1zYXrd9VwmfEowqOLWPuVy1BDfG6eCulfbzx lqPV0SxMlDVuODdyr0rphK3cSZ62h+tn3ZZuJh96OTAdFrfXWOvnraKatgfHeN20muMW QifXPYFzQsTwgdB9T+ihN/aI3plsyQSOJL3q3xCWyV1kKxco2j3wb8HYYwBuI6hL3mpr 8NtA== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM533kRI/YsNti61NINbG1vuabc6ZxblIotHgelAoLZsfSU7IZeFV0 2pmHxocrzJMwLbkWT/rVCNZLS4KfbwrvaAQXJqInPLJXVUc= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJzSdilHKcn1uXcQaBLQO2bGU15Q+vceIbjTweYZrud9wjZpEVnWuRhrdusr9+5ZZ8JGUbdy/w9nUqWaESaQXLc= X-Received: by 2002:ac8:7d45:0:b0:2db:9b2c:1b58 with SMTP id h5-20020ac87d45000000b002db9b2c1b58mr15949209qtb.318.1646791615749; Tue, 08 Mar 2022 18:06:55 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Douglas McIlroy Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2022 21:06:42 -0500 Message-ID: To: TUHS main list Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Subject: Re: [TUHS] Documenter's Workbench versions X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" > The Documenter's Workbench is sort of the unsung hero > of Unix. It is why Unix exists, Unix was done to write patents and > troff and the Documenter's Workbench was all about that. My response along the following lines seems to have gone astray. The prime reason for Unix was the desire of Ken, Dennis, and Joe Ossanna to have a pleasant environment for software development. The fig leaf that got the nod from Multics-burned management was that an early use would be to develop a "stand-alone" word-processing system for use in typing pools and secretarial offices. Perhaps they had in mind "dedicated", as distinct from "stand-alone"; that's what eventuated in various cases, most notably in the legal/patent department and in the AT&T CEO's office. Both those systems were targets of opportunity, not foreseen from the start. When Unix was up and running on the PDP-11, Joe got wind of the legal department having installed a commercial word processor. He went to pitch Unix as an alternative and clinched a trial by promising to make roff able to number lines by tomorrow in order to fulfill a patent-office requirement that the commercial system did not support. Modems were installed so legal-department secretaries could try the Research machine. They liked it and Joe's superb customer service. Soon the legal department got a system of their own. Joe went on to create nroff and troff. Document preparation became a widespread use of Unix, but no stand-alone word-processing system was ever undertaken. Doug