Editing Unix System Laboratories (section)

== {{anchor|UNIX Software Operation|Unix Software Operation}}Origins as subsidiary of AT&T ==
{{see also|History of Unix|Unix Wars}}
AT&T announced the creation of the '''UNIX Software Operation''' (USO) – a separate and distinct AT&T business unit responsible for the development, marketing, and licensing of UNIX System V software – in January 1989.<ref name="signals-91">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UY0-AQAAIAAJ | magazine=Signals | date=1991 | pages=61–66| title=Signals }}</ref>  This was done, as a subsequent press release stated, "in order to separate AT&T's UNIX System source code business from its computer systems business,"<ref name="pr-rosetta"/> the latter a reference to [[AT&T Computer Systems]]. USO included the AT&T Data Systems Group organizations responsible for UNIX product planning and management, licensing, and marketing.<ref name="pr-uso"/> [[Peter J. Weinberger]] was named chief scientist of USO while also retaining his job in the computing science research center at [[Bell Labs]]; no other Bell Labs assets were transferred to USO.<ref name="pr-uso">{{cite press release | url=http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1989/0104.html | title=AT&T Names President Of Unix Software Operation | publisher=PR Newswire | date=January 4, 1989 | access-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-date=January 19, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119060705/http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1989/0104.html | url-status=live }}</ref>  The head of USO was Larry Dooling, who had been a vice-president in sales and marketing in the AT&T Data Systems Group.<ref name="pr-uso"/>

Unlike the original Unix work, which had been done in the Bell Labs facility in [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]], USO and the commercialization work was done a few miles away in [[Summit, New Jersey]].<ref name="negus"/><ref name="lat-novell"/>   This AT&T Bell Labs location was known as SF for Summit Facility.<ref>{{cite journal | author2-first=Paul S. | author2-last=Putter | author1-first= Neal R. | author1-last=Wagner | title= Error Detecting Decimal Digits | journal=Communications of the ACM | volume=32 | number= 1 | date=January 1989 | pages= 106–110 | doi=10.1145/63238.63246 | s2cid=805863 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., came into being as a separate subsidiary of AT&T in November 1989 and was assigned all U.S.-based AT&T Unix and USO assets.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>
However USO continued to operate as USO until June 1990, when the reincorporation of AT&T's European and Asian Unix business operations as wholly owned subsidiaries of USL was completed.<ref name="signals-91"/>  At that point the UNIX Software Operation was publicly rebranded as UNIX System Laboratories.<ref name="pr-rosetta">{{cite press release | url=http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1990/0625.html | title=AT&T Renames Unix Software Unix System Laboratories | publisher=PR Newsire | date=June 25, 1990 | access-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-date=January 19, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119110714/http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1990/0625.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
Again, a point of emphasis was to separate the Unix-based business from AT&T's hardware-based business.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0bqdMvDMv74C&pg=PA10 | title=AT&T's Unix unit spun off | first=Johanna | last=Ambrosio | newspaper=Computerworld | date=July 23, 1990 | page=10 | access-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328062604/https://books.google.com/books?id=0bqdMvDMv74C&pg=PA10 | url-status=live }}</ref>  The subsidiaries were known as UNIX System Laboratories Europe, Ltd., sited near [[Ealing Broadway]] in [[London]], and UNIX System Laboratories Pacific, Ltd., located in [[Shiba, Tokyo]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xe-8gZ6FoIMC&pg=PA39 | title=AUUG Conference Proceedings 1992 | publisher=Australian Open Systems Users Group | date=Summer 1992 | page=39 | access-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-date=March 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328062558/https://books.google.com/books?id=xe-8gZ6FoIMC&pg=PA39 | url-status=live }}</ref>
Dooling was named the initial president of USL, continuing from his position at USO.<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>

These organizational changes were taking place in the context of the [[Open system (computing)|open systems movement]] and the ongoing [[Unix wars]].  In consequence, the pro-AT&T side [[Unix International]] (as opposed to the anti-AT&T side [[Open Software Foundation]]) declared that "In the last 18 months AT&T has made good on its commitment to treat UNIX System as the industry asset it is and to open the UNIX System V development process to the entire industry."<ref name="pr-rosetta"/>