undefined | Better HN

0 pointsainar-g6y ago0 comments

We already did that. It was called Plan 9 From Bell Labs[1]. And while it gave us UTF-8, procfs, 9P, etc, it failed to become a popular OS.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs

0 comments

4 comments · 2 top-level

jamesrcole6y ago· 1 in thread

The important question here is, why? Was it because of those features? Or something else?

I don't know, but one major factor in OS adoption is network effects. "The rich get richer", and it's very hard to introduce a new and different system, no matter how good it is.

teddyh6y ago

Unlike Unix, which was basically free software and therefore extendable and available for companies to build their own versions of, Plan 9 was proprietary from Bell Labs.

hhas016y ago· 1 in thread

Ah, Plan 9. Vastly superior to its predecessor in every way, except the one that counts: bums on seats.

teddyh6y ago

And, for a long time, price/licensing.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse