its
from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
ITS
/I.T.S/, n.
1. Incompatible Time-sharing System, an influential though highly
idiosyncratic operating system written for PDP-6s and PDP-10s at MIT
and long used at the MIT AI Lab. Much AI-hacker jargon derives from
ITS folklore, and to have been `an ITS hacker' qualifies one instantly
as an old-timer of the most venerable sort. ITS pioneered many
important innovations, including transparent file sharing between
machines and terminal-independent I/O. After about 1982, most actual
work was shifted to newer machines, with the remaining ITS boxes run
essentially as a hobby and service to the hacker community. The
shutdown of the lab's last ITS machine in May 1990 marked the end of
an era and sent old-time hackers into mourning nationwide (see {high
moby}). There is an ITS home page.
2. A mythical image of operating-system perfection worshiped by a
bizarre, fervent retro-cult of old-time hackers and ex-users (see
{troglodyte}, sense 2). ITS worshipers manage somehow to continue
believing that an OS maintained by assembly-language hand-hacking that
supported only monocase 6-character filenames in one directory per
account remains superior to today's state of commercial art (their
venom against {Unix} is particularly intense). See also {holy wars},
{Weenix}.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
ITS
1. Incompatible {time-sharing} System
An influential but highly idiosyncratic {operating system}
written for the {PDP-6} and {PDP-10} at {MIT} and long used at
the {MIT AI Lab}. Much AI-hacker jargon derives from ITS
folklore, and to have been "an ITS hacker" qualifies one
instantly as an old-timer of the most venerable sort. ITS
pioneered many important innovations, including transparent
file sharing between machines and terminal-independent I/O.
After about 1982, most actual work was shifted to newer
machines, with the remaining ITS boxes run essentially as a
hobby and service to the hacker community. The shutdown of
the lab's last ITS machine in May 1990 marked the end of an
era and sent old-time hackers into mourning nationwide (see
{high moby}). The Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden is
maintaining one "live" ITS site at its computer museum (right
next to the only {TOPS-10} system still on the {Internet}), so
ITS is still alleged to hold the record for OS in longest
continuous use (however, {WAITS} is a credible rival for this
palm).
2. A mythical image of {operating system} perfection worshiped
by a bizarre, fervent retro-cult of old-time hackers and
ex-users (see {troglodyte}). ITS worshipers manage somehow to
continue believing that an OS maintained by {assembly
language} hand-hacking that supported only monocase
6-character filenames in one directory per account remains
superior to today's state of commercial art (their venom
against {Unix} is particularly intense).
See also {holy wars}, {Weenix}.
[{Jargon File}]
(1994-12-15)
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