XPost: alt.folklore.computers   
   From: ldo@nz.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 6 Aug 2025 05:50:11 -0000 (UTC), Thomas Koenig wrote:   
      
   > Using UNIX faced stiff competition from AT&T's internal IT people, who   
   > wanted to run DEC's operating systems on all PDP-11 within the company   
   > (basically, they wanted to kill UNIX).   
      
   But because AT&T controlled Unix, they were able to mould it like putty to   
   their own uses. E.g. look at the MERT project which supported real-time   
   tasks (as needed in telephone exchanges) besides conventional Unix ones.   
   No way they could do this with an outside proprietary system, like those   
   from DEC.   
      
   AT&T also created its own hardware (the 3B range) to complement the   
   software in serving those high-availability needs.   
      
   > But the _real_ killer application for UNIX wasn't writing patents, it   
   > was phototypesetting speeches for the CEO of AT&T, who, for reasons of   
   > vanity, did not want to wear glasses, and it was possible to scale the   
   > output of the phototoypesetter so he would be able to read them.   
      
   Heck, no. The biggest use for the Unix documentation tools was in the   
   legal department, writing up patent applications. troff was just about the   
   only software around that could do automatic line-numbering, which was   
   crucial for this purpose.   
      
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