A Personal History with Linux and BSD Unix

David MacKenzie recounts his experiences as a software developer with the GNU Project and BSD Unix during the 1980s and 1990s, with illustrations of what computing was like during that time and reflection on the legacy of that work.

[@GianGiovanii]

Better someone archive this gold piece of history somewhere safe.

[@LloydDeJongh]

I was a Unix systems admin for many years, working on RH Linux, CentOS and Sun Solaris. This is an excellent story, with incredible history. Wow!

[@moshixmainframechannel]

Wonderful video and biography. Thank you for your important contributions. We all stand on the shoulders of giants

[@maxcohn3228]

This is the kind of history content we need about early Unix! Extremely grateful for all the work on GNU and this video!

[@jarango]

Thank you thank you thank you! I’m one of the many people who uses your software every day. 🙏

[@victorkh7]

I'm so happy to finally see, alive and talking... the ONE and ONLY sir David MacKenzie! A great pleasure hearing your story around Unix/Linux! Thank you for your contribution to the world... Big love ❤

[@eugeniogonzato]

I just wrote in my terminal "man date" and at the end of the file there is your name, I'm so happy to have the opportunity to listen to your story, thank you!!!

[@JeordieEH]

I can only hope when your parents seen you, they seen a lot of pride on both their kids, because they should have been glad to have shared part in your upbringing to have seen you become such a huge part of the innovation of the world. I am so glad I stumbled upon this channel and to find a legend documenting his great accomplishments.

[@pepepepe796]

Thank you for your work, David. You certainly have had a GREAT impact in the WORLD. I use your work every day.

[@jmz8086]

Wow, what a great video! I hung on every word, so fascinating! You truly were at the right place at the right time. And yet you do not brag; telling us what happened and how. Very inspiring video, thank you so much. I run linux myself on all my computers (fedora haha) and putting a face to the name is awesome. So cool. Thank you for your many contributions. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and you are definitely one of them! Thank you.

[@sethbrown1763]

Thank you for sharing this video! I was a UNIX user from around 1984, first on Xenix and later on, various versions of SysV. I didn't get to use any GNU based software until later in the 1990s, when I got my hands on Slackware, and later Red Hat. I started out doing data entry, later working as a field service tech in Latin America, slowly becoming a C programmer and system administrator along the way. I smiled at the Wyse50 terminal. I spent years on those old Wyse50 terminals as well. I eventually have transitioned to GNU/Linux as my "daily driver" (I'm not too sure if that term still applies, since I'm retired :) I applaud the work the Free Software Foundation has done, not only producing excellent software, but providing truly visionary leadership. Richard Stallman is an amazing person to have seen what needed to be done and to have dedicated his life to bringing freedom to others. Thank you for all your excellent work in developing the GNU software. My life would not have been the same without your efforts.

[@xCheddarB0b42x]

Thank you, David, for sharing this first person insight into computing history.

[@Shahriyarj]

Thank you very much for preserving the history.

[@Leahi84]

Loved every minute of hearing you're story and learned a lot. Thank you for all of your work! You are greatly appreciated.

[@antoniocorbibellot6532]

wow! History made real! Thanks for all your work David.

[@jamescoleman24]

My involvement in Unix and Linux was a mere dust mote compared to Mr. MacKenzie's but I thank him and everyone else who contributed to the software that enabled me and so many others to make very nice and satisfying living.

[@wiseskeshom4673]

Great story, thanks for your contributions and sharing us the wonderful journey in Linux and BSD Unix space.

[@dipi71]

48:45 Building a virtual world - such a fitting term for what I've always wanted to do (but rarely succeeded in). Cheers from a fellow 8-bit, music-cassette-storage and assembler-affine hacker. Remember those Amstrad CPC464 home computers with integrated tape deck? Z80 was ok, but 68k assembler is still my favorite. Studying CS and working at S.u.S.E. in Nuremberg (back when SuSE still hat those dots in the name) I caught the C bug coding with Lattice C on the Atari ST in 1988, the UNIX bug in 1991 and the Linux bug in 1996. Please do some more videos, maybe with more show-and-tell. I should do some too.

[@Drackanna]

Thank you for everything you have done.

[@mikheilidautashvili6949]

Thank you for your work.

[@tobiadeniji6630]

What a time to be alive!

[@bigfootpegrande]

Thanks for the historical document!

[@vinaymourya3613]

thanks for your contribution to Linux Community.

[@krunkle5136]

Behold, a wizard. Much more reputable than most web devs and language faddists.

[@Watauva_94]

Best comment so far haha!!

[@techwatcher386]

Nice biography. Thanks for sharing.

[@hnmcclain]

It was a VIC-20 for me David. Like Linus... 1982. I'll be 50 in November and I can't believe the ride. The computer is almost like a sibling or a favorite cousin I grew up with. Literally, growing up and maturing alongside one another. Awesome video. Thanks so much. Oh, one more thing... I'm a MoCo kid too!!!

[@dawidlitwin9294]

Very interesting personal story. Thank you very much for sharing it. You are a great bro.

[@mitz8892]

Thankyou for sharing such interesting historical knowledge. Looking forward for more videos like this.

[@RodrigoPolo]

Much respect to you!

[@danielgx83]

wow , I've watched the all video and it was very interesting story! what a memories

[@johnvanwinkle4351]

Thank you David for this video and your contributions to software development!

[@boxerfencer]

Thank you for all your work!

[@RM-gm7lu]

Thanks for sharing, really interesting and inspiring.

[@jain-d1]

Thanks David, for sharing this and everything you have built.

[@Marcelo-rj3ll]

What a history, thanks for sharing.

[@youreale]

This is gold! thanks for sharing.

[@kcygt]

It was a great talk. Lıke a history lesson.

[@Magadiel]

Thank you! You did a great job!

[@Lion_McLionhead]

Sounds like a grind, rewriting, reconfiguring, repackaging the same utilities year after year to use whatever the current standards are. Lions were always interested in writing once & moving on.

[@nikhilshinde3702]

Thank you for you contribution!

[@Kenbomp]

Such a unique look and perspective

[@MakefilesXYZ]

You are a legend.

[@SafirSecerovic]

Thank You

[@Mike.Freeman]

God bless!

[@user-ce8hq4qg8p]

This is really amazing!

[@cspaulin]

You are the David MacKenzie in the manual pages. Thank you for your software. I will look for you in the bottom of the manual pages. man ls ls - list directory contents Written by Richard M. Stallman and David MacKenzie.

[@onelifepillow]

I'm glad to be learning Linux

[@jakobw135]

Since Mac OS and Linux are both Unix based, is it possible to tweak the latter to run the Apple version of Adobe applications - NATIVELY?

[@loquilloll]

GOAT!

[@olivermcintosh8281]

I used to dance to ST225 hard drives formatting … can’t recall what OS I was installing

[@ichauch110]

No Wikipedia page? At least i did not find it.

[@chlor7877]

I tried to create one but someone have tried this before and MacKenzie somehow does not have the notability. If you see the "talk" page even Brian Fox was on the edge of getting off. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:David_Mackenzie_(computer_programmer) The above link will disappear in a few days.

[@opfax163]

funny knowing that some not very notable people have their own page and they did nothing important in their life

[@randomsearches369]

Thanks a lot!

[@jakobw135]

Wasn't the recursive acronym - GNU - used because Richard Stallman did not want to get SUED by Unix? Shouldn't it in fact be called - GIU - meaning: GNU - IS - Unix? 😁

[@qbasicmichael]

11:05 i've always been a dos/windows guy. But i did make an "ls.bat" file to run "dir /w %*".

[@noname-ll2vk]

That's interesting re gnu philosophy of no artificial barriers. I have interacted with BSD tools for years and have always wondered at their limited nature compared to the gnu utilities. But I never realized removing those limits was actually a deliberate goal. Limits never made any sense to me. Still don't. This limit vs no limit seems to be continuing sad to say. Very visible when comparing Linux to BSD kernels, and their capabilities. That gap is growing.

[@spearPYN]

Beautiful recollection of the era long gone now. Comparing Unix programming to building virtual worlds is a sentiment I also share; that's why I still enjoy both Unix and retro computer gaming.

[@justinasbei]

Wrote the books down

[@boohoo5419]

so.. your this computer genius then why the fuck you are not aware of the horrendous noise floor of your microphone. the audio is unwatchable.

[@jondoe7268]

your nose hairs are too distracting and at 5:28 i had to stop watching

[@trudyandgeorge]

Remarkable (that you noticed). Why do you think it captured your attention?

[@user-tv9ev6bf9t]

do you using linuxmint , i using it too

[@EugeniaLoli]

Thank you so much for your contribution and service!