Copyright Law
Several years ago, I read an interesting discussion in the comp.unix.xenix newsgroup. An old computer enthusiast was searching for Xenix for the 8086, 80186, or 80286. For those of you not familiar with Xenix, it was one of the first Unices to be ported to the x86 architecture. The earliest versions ran on the IBM PC XT. The discussion went as follows:
- Question: Where can I find Xenix for the 8086, 80186, or 80286?
- Answer: In the history books.
I'm sure this was intended as a witty retort, and not intended to be spiteful... However, it strikes me as a rather sad statement. Operating systems like Xenix, Microport, PC/IX, and even A/UX, are in danger of being lost forever. These are historical artifacts, and they must be protected. That having been said, please remember that A/UX is still a copyrighted product.
Tech Notes
The astute observer will note that this site is not hosted on an A/UX server. While A/UX is a robust and reliable Unix, it is a discontinued product. To my knowledge, no one is producing security updates or patches for A/UX, and the latest version was released in 1995. For this reason, I would caution against setting an A/UX server on the the internet without adequate protection.
Most of the screenshots were produced using command+shift+3, or with Nobu Toge's Flash-It 3.0.2 utility. However, there were points (during the installation routines mostly) where actual screenshots were simply not possible. A few of the images were produced with the gimp, but I went to great lengths to make them pixel-accurate. I hope you can forgive me - If not, you can go pound sand.
A great deal of time was spent testing the site in various browsers, both with and without CSS support, and on various platforms. The site was designed primarily for Mozilla Firefox, but it should work properly in any standards-compliant browser. A few things may look different in Internet Explorer, but I'm not going out of my way to support a fundamentally flawed platform. If you notice something obviously broken, please let me know.
A/UX Links
There are very few A/UX-related web sites left out there... Most of the old archives like Jagubox, and the German site have gone dark. Of those that remain, these are some of my favorites:
- A/UX FAQ - The updated A/UX FAQ!
- comp.unix.aux - A/UX Newsgroup
- 68k Macintosh Liberation Army - 68k Unix Forum
- http://slagheap.net/ - Owner of the A/UX 1.1.1 CD-ROM
- nleymann.de - A/UX binaries & source packages
- Tecneeq.de - Even more A/UX links!
- Apple Knowledge Base Archive - Archived support Docs
- Applefritter A/UX - Screenshots and Info
- cilinder.be - Documentation on A/UX and other Unices
Classic Macintosh Links
- Gamba's Homepage - Resources for the older Macintosh
- Mac FAQ - The Pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
- Jag's House - Lots of sofware & links
Non-A/UX Links
- Macintosh Application Environment - Macintosh emulator for Solaris and HP-UX
- Solaris Tutorials - My own collection of Solaris Tutorials
- Xenix Installation - How to install Xenix 2.3.4
- Elena Filatova - Visit the abandoned city of Prypiat on the outskirts of Chernobyl
Legal disclaimer:
Although it was discontinued over a decade ago, A/UX is still protected by copyright. Portions of the source are owned by Apple, Unisys, and Sun Microsystems, to name but a few. Apple, Macintosh, Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other logos are the property of their respective companies. The html documents and graphics are also protected under copyright law.
I do not claim to be an expert of any kind. I'm simply a hobbyist seeking to share my knowledge and appreciation of the Macintosh, Unix, and A/UX. If you have any questions or comments regarding the site or the content, feel free to contact me.








