MCC Interim Linux
| Developer | Owen Le Blanc |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux(Unix-like) |
| Working state | Historic |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | February 1992 |
| Latest release | 2.0+ / 4 November 1996 |
| Available in | Various |
| Update method | None (manual) |
| Package manager | None |
| Platforms | Intel 386 |
| Kerneltype | Monolithic(Linux) |
| Userland | GNU |
| Default user interface | Command line interface |
| License | Various |
MCC Interim Linuxis aLinux distributionfirst released in February 1992 by Owen Le Blanc of the Manchester Computing Centre (MCC), part of theUniversity of Manchester.It was the first Linux distribution created for computer users who were not Unix experts[1]and featured amenu-driveninstallerthat installed both the kernel and a set of end-user and programming tools.
The MCC first made Linux available byanonymous FTPin November 1991.[2]Le Blanc's irritations with his early experiments with Linux, such as the lack of a workingfdisk(he would later write one), the need to use multiple FTP repositories to acquire all the essential software, and library version problems, inspired the creation of this distribution.[3]
Le Blanc claimed he referred to the distributions as "interim" because "...they are not intended to be final or official. They are small, harmonious, and moderately tested. They do not conform to everyone's taste -- what release does? -- but they should provide a stable base to which other software can be added."[2]
History
[edit]Prior to its first release, the closest approximation to a Linux distribution had beenH J Lu's "Boot/Root"floppy diskimages from early 1992.[4]These were two 5¼ "diskette images containing theLinux kerneland the minimum tools required to get started. So minimal were these tools that to be able to boot from a hard drive required editing itsmaster boot recordwith ahex editor.[5]
The first release of MCC Interim Linux was based on Linux 0.12 and made use ofTheodore Ts'o'sramdiskcode to copy a small root image to memory, freeing the floppy drive for additional utilities diskettes.[2]
He also stated his distributions were "unofficial experiments", describing the goals of his releases as being:
- To provide a simple installation procedure.[3]
- To provide a more complete installation procedure.
- To provide a backup/recovery service.
- To back up his (then) current system.
- To compile, link, and test every binary file under the current versions of the kernel, gcc, and libraries.[2]
- To provide a stable base system, which can be installed in a short time, and to which other software can be added with relatively little effort.
Indeed, no attempt was ever made to distribute it with a wide range of software or even theX386windowing system.
Successors
[edit]Soon after the first release came other distributions such as TAMU, created by individuals atTexas A&M University,Martin Junius's MJ[citation needed],Softlanding Linux Systemand H J Lu'sLinux Base System.These in turn were quickly superseded bySlackware,Red Hat LinuxandDebian,the oldest surviving distributions.
The 1.0 distribution of MCC Interim pointed out that Debian was "five times the size of MCC, and quite comprehensive",[2]and the final distribution encouraged users to switch to Debian by providing transitional support.[6]
Included software
[edit]Version 0.95c+
[edit]As discussed in an email dated 23 April 1992, the boot and utilities disk pair included:[3]
- bash
- compress
- elvis
- gawk
- TheGNU shell/file/text utilities
- grep/egrep/fgrep
- joe
- less
- make
- more
- mtools
- sed
- tar
- uuencode/uudecode
An optional pair of disks containedgccandg++2.1,kermitand shoelace.
Version 0.99.p8
[edit]Released on 14 April 1993.[7]Added to version 0.95c+ were bison, flex,gdb,gprof,groff,gzip[8]andman.[9]
Version 0.99.p8+
[edit]Released on 26 April 1993.[10]Added to version 0.99.p8 wereemacsand info.[11]
Version 1.0+
[edit]Added to version 0.99.p8+ wereelm,[12]lp,mail,progman, timezone and words[13]
References
[edit]- ^Moody, Glyn (2002)Rebel Code
- ^abcde"MCC Interim Linux".Retrieved2 April2013.
- ^abcJoinson, Robin."MCC Interim Release".Retrieved19 July2007.
- ^"History of Early Linux Distros".12 September 2012.
- ^A Short History of Linux Distributions by Joe Klemmer [LWN.net]
- ^"Debian.README".Manchester Computing Centre, 2.0+.
- ^"Changelog".Manchester Computing Centre, 0.99p8.
- ^"Acknowledgements".Manchester Computing Centre, 0.99p8.
- ^"README.package".Manchester Computing Centre, 0.99p8.
- ^"Changelog".Manchester Computing Centre, 0.99.p8+.
- ^"README.ftp".Manchester Computing Centre, 0.99.p8+.
- ^"Origins".Manchester Computing Centre, 1.0+.
- ^"README.ftp".Manchester Computing Centre, 1.0+.
External links
[edit]
- MCC's sitefeaturing versions 0.97-p2-12 to 2.0+
- MCCatPrinceton University
- MCC Interim Linuxatibiblio
