Why Unix? Unix is the most widely used computer Operating System (OS) in the world. Unix has been ported to run on a wide range of computers, from handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) to inexpensive home computing systems to some of the worlds' largest super-computers. Unix is a multiuser, multitasking operating system which enables many people to run many programs on a single computer at the same time. After more than three decades of use, Unix is still regarded as one of the most powerful, versatile, flexible and (perhaps most importantly) reliable operating systems in the world of computing. The UNIX operating system was designed to let a number of programmers access the computer at the same time and share its resources. The operating system controls all of the commands from all of the keyboards and all of the data being generated, and permits each user to believe he or she is the only person working on the computer. This real-time sharing of resources makes UNIX one of the most powerful operating systems ever. Although UNIX was developed by programmers for programmers, it provides an environment so powerful and flexible that it is found in businesses, sciences, academia, and industry. Many telecommunications switches and transmission systems also are controlled by administration and maintenance systems based on UNIX.

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