Multicians.org and the History of Operating Systems

The Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) operating system occupies an important place in the history of software, yet has received little attention from historians. In most accounts it is a mere footnote—the inspiration for the far better known UNIX operating system. Nothing has been written on its actual usage. However, Multics veterans are determined to change this. Under the leadership of software engineer Tom Van Vleck, who spent almost sixteen years working on Multics at both MIT and Honeywell, they have created the Multicians.org Web site. According to the site, a Multician is “anybody who loves the system (with all its faults), who contributed to its development and success, who advocated it to others and tried to make it better.”