Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 20:09:31 PST
From: "Peter G. Neumann" <neumann@csl.sri.com>
Subject: The end of the Multics era

Now that the very last Multics system has been decommissioned (last month,
the Canadian Department of National Defense 5-processor configuration in
Halifax), I am reminded of the primary goals of Multics expressed in the
1965 Fall Joint paper by Corbato' and Vyssotsky, in which nine major goals
were stated (courtesy of a note from John Gintell):

* Convenient remote terminal use. 

* Continuous operation analogous to power & telephone services. 

* A wide range of system configurations, changeable without system or
  user program reorganization. 

* A highly reliable internal file system. 

* Support for selective controlled information sharing. 

* Hierarchical structures of information for system administration and
  decentralization of user activities. 

* Support for a wide range of applications. 

* Support for multiple programming environments & human interfaces. 

* The ability to evolve the system with changes in technology and in
  user aspirations. 

These principles became fundamental to the Multics development and operation
for the 35 years from 1965 until 2000.  They are still relevant today, and
they are still not as widely observed as they should be.  So, to commemorate
the final resting place of Multics, it seems appropriate to reiterate them
here.

For background, check out Tom Van Vleck's Multicians Web site:
  http://www.multicians.org

PGN