Episode 177 - Getting Real with RSX
From Advent of Computing by Sean Haas
February 23, 2026 · 58 min · Episode 177
About this episode
This episode discusses the history and unique characteristics of the RSX operating system compared to UNIX.
Who wants to hear me make incorrect assumptions about old software? RSX is a system that, from the outside, can sound like it has a similar story to that of UNIX. First developed for the PDP-15 in 1969, RSX becomes much more well known when it migrates to the PDP-11. It becomes a multitasking and multiuser system. A key difference is niche. While UNIX is a very general purpose system RSX is built for real time. That leads to something very unique.
People in this episode
Host: Sean Haas
Topics covered
- RSX
- UNIX
- PDP-15
- PDP-11
- multitasking
- real-time systems
Keywords
- RSX
- UNIX
- PDP-15
- PDP-11
- multitasking
- real-time
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RSX, UNIX
Products: PDP-15, PDP-11
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- Episode 179 - Programming Block by Block · April 4, 2026 · 1h 2m
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- Dan Temkin - Forty-Four Esolangs · March 9, 2026 · 52 min
- Episode 176 - Is That Even UNIX? · February 9, 2026 · 1h 2m
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