Path: utzoo!attcan!lsuc!ncrcan!ontenv!soley From: soley@ontenv.UUCP (Norman S. Soley) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: GCOS field Message-ID: <307@ontenv.UUCP> Date: 2 Dec 88 15:14:39 GMT References: <7996@dasys1.UUCP> <4400001@mrevox.UUCP> Organization: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto Lines: 25 In article <4400001@mrevox.UUCP>, pim@mrevox.UUCP writes: > Someone just the other day saw the GCOS(GECOS) field > being prompted for and remarked that he hadn't seen > that name for a while. He said that it stood for: > > General Electric Computer Operating System > or > General Electric Comprehensive Operating System > > It seems far fetched, but interesting. Considering that Thompson had been working on Multics (at the time a joint project between MIT, Bell Labs and G.E.) the roots of which was the GCOS O/S (which by the way is still used on Honeywell DPS type boxes) before UNIX was even a glimmer in his eye, it's not so far fetched at all. Now the question still remains, what is the connection between the GCOS O/S and the GCOS field in the UNIX passwd file (if any). -- Norman Soley - Data Communications Analyst - Ontario Ministry of the Environment UUCP: uunet!attcan!lsuc!ncrcan!ontenv!soley VOICE: +1 416 323 2623 OR: soley@ontenv.UUCP " Stay smart, go cool, be happy, it's the only way to get what you want"