Presenter: Diomidis Spinellis, AUEB
Date: 21 October 2024

This talk examines the enduring lessons from the evolution over the past fifty years of Unix and its deep impact on modern computing. By tracing Unix's development from the First Research Edition to modern FreeBSD releases, the presentation highlights key innovations such as prototyping, portability, modular design, and prioritizing developer efficiency over machine resources.

The presentation focuses on architectural principles that have been central to Unix, including aggressive partitioning, composition, layering, convention-based extensibility, and the extensive use of pipelines and filters. Drawing on research and case studies, this talk provides a technical retrospective on Unix's legacy and the principles that continue to guide effective system and software development today. It is aimed at developers, architects, and technology enthusiasts interested in exploring the historical and ongoing relevance of Unix's design principles.