
If we consider a package manager and kernel, Ubuntu and Red Hat being distributions makes sense. Let's remember for a second that Linux as in the Linux Kernel is supposed to be distributable software, with modifications, or at least in accordance with GPL v2.
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macOS X should be very close to that aim.Ī Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection, which is based upon the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. The closer it gets to system level and kernel level, the more specific and shadier the area will get, but at least fundamental mechanics and behavior that were present in Unix should be present in an OS that aims to be compatible. At the very least, it will be close in behavior and in environment. Since this particular version of OS conforms to interoperability and compatibility standard, it means the OS is as close in behavior and system implementation as possible to original Unix as an Operating System.

Let’s return to previous section of my answer. Example: "Hewlett Packard Enterprise: HP-UX 11i V3 Release B.11.31 or later on HP 9000 Servers with Precision Architecture" (from the register page).
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has entered into a Trademark License Agreement with X/Open Company Limited." Side note: I hesitate to question what it would means for macOS 10.13 on non-Intel hardware to be treated as, but considering that hardware is mentioned for other OS, the hardware is significant.
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In a very specific definition, macOS version 10.13 High Sierra on Intel-based hardware is compliant to the UNIX 03 standard and to quote the pdf certificate, "Apple Inc. Where does macOS X stand in the *nix world ? Based on the above sources, it seems UNIX nowadays is not that specific OS, but rather a standard derived out of the best possible generalization for how operating systems in Unix family behave. Please note that this does not mention the presence of any traces of the original Unix source code, nor does it mention the kernel in any way (this will become important later).Īs for the AT&T and System V Unix developed by Ritchie and Thompson, nowadays we can say it has ceased to exist. So what this suggests (or at least so is my interpretation), is that when an OS conforms to the POSIX standard and Single UNIX Specifications, it is compatible in behavior with Unix as an OS that once existed at one point in time in history. To address this, vendors and users joined together in the 1980s to create the POSIX® standard and later the Single UNIX Specification. The success of the UNIX approach led to a large number of “look-alike” operating systems, often divergent in compatibility and interoperability.


To quote the About Us page with my own emphasis in bold: Curiously enough the latest standard listed on their website is UNIX 03, and to quote another source, "UNIX® 03 - the mark for systems conforming to version 3 of the Single UNIX Specification". The latest version of the certification standard is UNIX V7, aligned with the Single UNIX Specification VersEditionĭetails of those specs can be found here. The same page specifically states which specification defines UNIX:

"UNIX®, an open standard owned and managed by The Open Group, is an enabler of key technologies and delivers reduced total cost of ownership, increased IT agility, stability, and interoperability in hetero¬geneous environments enabling business and market innovation across the globe." Short answer: UNIX is a specification/standard nowadays.Īt the time of writing, to quote the official sources, "UNIX® is a registered trademark of The Open Group", the company which among many things provides UNIX certification:
