---
keywords: ["Unix", "Unix v1", "PDP-11", 1970s, 1971]
image: ./unix-v1.webp
description: "! Unix v1 was an operating system for the DEC PDP-11 computer. It was developed by Bell Labs."
sidebar_position: 1
---

import DocCardList from '@theme/DocCardList';

# ! Unix v1

![! Unix v1](./unix-v1.webp)

! Unix v1 was an operating system for the DEC PDP-11 computer. It was developed by Bell Labs. Sadly, we do not have a complete copy of Unix v1, but we do have a copy with v1 [kernel](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernel_(operating_system)>) and v2 [userland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_space), which we can run on SIMH.

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## Manuals

You can download the ! Unix v1 manual from here:

- [! Unix Programmer's Manual, 1st Edition](https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Distributions/Research/Dennis_v1/UNIX_ProgrammersManual_Nov71.pdf)

Since the copy we have has v2 userland, you will be interested in ! Unix v2 manual as well:

- [! Unix Programmer's Manual, 2nd Edition](https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Distributions/Research/Dennis_v2/v2man.pdf)

You may also be interested in the PDP-11 manuals. It was the computer on which ! Unix v1 as well as ! Unix v2 was supposed to run. You can download them from Bitsavers:

- [PDP-11 Manuals](http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/)

In particular, you may be interested in these:

- [PDP-11 Processor handbook](http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/handbooks/PDP1120_Handbook_1972.pdf)
- [PDP-11 Peripherals and Interfacing handbook](http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/handbooks/PDP11_PeripheralsHbk_1972.pdf)

## Related Pages

- [VirtualHub Screenshots](https://screenshots.virtualhub.eu.org/1970s/1971/unix-v1/)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix#1970s)
- [Computer History Wiki ! Unix v1 page](https://gunkies.org/wiki/UNIX_First_Edition)
- [Computer History Wiki ! Unix v2 page](https://gunkies.org/wiki/UNIX_Second_Edition)
- [Computer History Wiki PDP-11 page](https://gunkies.org/wiki/PDP-11)
- [The project to resurrect ! Unix v1/v2](https://code.google.com/archive/p/unix-jun72/)

## Credits

- The manuals were taken from [The Unix Heritage Society (TUHS)](https://www.tuhs.org) and [Bitsavers](http://bitsavers.org).