Version 6 Unix
Sixth Edition Unix, also called Version 6 Unix or just V6, was the first version of the Unix operating system to see wide release outside Bell Labs. It was released in May 1975 and, like its direct predecessor, targeted the DEC PDP-11 family of minicomputers. It was superseded by Version 7 Unix in 1978/1979, although V6 systems remained in regular operation until at least 1985.
| Developer | AT&T Bell Laboratories |
|---|---|
| Written in | C, assembly |
| OS family | Unix |
| Working state | Historic |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | May 1975 |
| Marketing target | Minicomputers |
| Available in | English |
| Platforms | DEC PDP-11 |
| Default user interface | Command-line interface (Thompson shell) |
| License | Originally proprietary commercial software, now free software under a BSD License |
| Preceded by | Version 5 Unix |
| Succeeded by | Version 7 Unix |
AT&T Corporation licensed Version 5 Unix to educational institutions only, but licensed Version 6 also to commercial users for $20,000, and it remained the most widely used version into the 1980s. An enhanced V6 was the basis of the first ever commercially sold Unix version, INTERACTIVE's IS/1. Bell's own PWB/UNIX 1.0 was also based on V6, where earlier (unreleased) versions were based on V4 and V5. Whitesmiths produced and marketed a (binary-compatible) V6 clone under the name Idris.