Is the "dark and stormy lab" in which Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson developed Unix still in existence and preserved?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 18 Jul, 2023
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The Murray-Hill site in New Jersey is still in existence (it’s part of Nokia Bell Labs now), but I doubt the Unix lab is preserved. You can visit the Bell Labs Technology Showcase, but that’s a museum on the site, not the original offices.
I’m quite certain there are some museums in the US which you’d find interesting. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, is very, very interesting, not just for its exhibits, but also because they organise events quite regularly, have great guided tours (led by people who lived through what they’re talking about), some working computers, and you’re likely to bump in to interesting people there (including original Unix developers). Another great museum is the Living Computers museum in Seattle, whose specificity is that the exhibits are in working condition. If you’re ever in San Francisco when Jason Scott’s organising a visit, it’s well worth tagging along for a tour of the Internet Archive. The list goes on…
There are also many, many “hidden” computer history museums around the US, but you’ll find out about those by taking part in the communities and getting to know their owners.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘