What is Xenix?
Xenix is an operating system, which supports a computer’s basic functions. It is a discontinued version of Unix, a set of operating systems. Xenix was created by Bell Labs, which was part of the Bell System, and was owned by AT&T. Due to an antitrust case, which aimed to prevent AT&T from gaining control of the market, they were initially forbidden from entering the computer market. This meant that they were unable to sell Unix directly to customers, and were forced to license Unix to other companies, for them to sell on. However, when the Bell System was broken down into eight separate companies, AT&T gained the ability to sell Unix directly, instead of having to sell it through other …show more content…
They succeeded in this, with the first computer system to use Xenix being the 16-bit microcomputer Zilog Z8001. Microsoft never sold Xenix directly to customers, instead choosing to sublicense Xenix to PC manufacturers, who then used it on their computers, which they then sold on to their customers. Some of the companies Microsoft licensed Xenix to are the Tandy Corporation and Intel.
Xenix was extremely successful. It was widely used in the industry, and at one time was even the most commonly installed version of Unix. Microsoft used Xenix on their own computers, to create their local area network, which they named “Microsoft’s Local Area Network (MILAN). This connected all their computers together, making it easier for Microsoft employees to send e-mails to each other. In the middle of 1980s, everyone in Microsoft, such as lower-ranked employees like the secretary, up to Bill Gates himself, had access to Xenix and was using it daily for …show more content…
This is divided into two distinct areas, with two sets of requirements. The first section is a swap area. This stores copies of processes, which means that that the processes can be suspended, which allows higher-priority processes to occur. This section requires a high data transfer rate to work as fast as possible. The second section of the hard disk system is the Xenix file system, which contains Xenix software and user programs. Xenix files are stored in a variety of different places on the disk, so a fast seek time is important to enable it to find files as quickly as possible. Xenix was also connected to, and compatible with, other Microsoft products, such as