15 Dec
2011
15 Dec
'11
2:42 p.m.
Jules Richardson wrote:
Of course my guess is that the OP wanted a
general-purpose
computer running a non-specialised OS which came with its
own TCP/IP stack built-in rather than as an add-on
Mark Benson wrote:
If you insist on a general purpose machine with a
built-in
TCP/IP stack then you aren't looking at a true representation
in my mind.
A true representation of what?
The idea Jules describes, of "a non-specialized OS which came with its
own TCP/IP stack built-in", existed at least as early as August 1983, in
the form of BSD 4.2. Since the TCP/IP internet only came into existence
on January 1. 1983, there aren't likely to be too many that were
earlier. (BSD 4.1a had TCP/IP in April 1982, but was not intended for
public distribution.)
If you include NCP, the predecessor of TCP/IP, then TOPS-20AN qualifies
and was released before 1978.
I had been using the Internet for 2 years (on Windows
3.1) before
we got a computer with a TCP/IP stack built into the OS (Windows 95)
There was certainly not any non-specialized OS for PCs (or other
microcomputers) with bulit-in TCP/IP until *much* later than BSD 4.2.
Microsoft need not apply.