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1973). In 1973, Ken
Robinson recognised the UNIX OS as "too good to be true" and acquired a copy of the system from Bell Laboratories. John Lions took over the management of the installation of UNIX on the department's PDP 11/40 computer and, recognising the importance of the accessibility of this system immediately incorporated a study of UNIX in his teaching, making significant modifications to two of his courses. In addition, he wrote the ‘Source Code and Commentary on Unix Level 6’ and handed cardboard bound copies on computer printout paper to his astonished students. Containing the entire UNIX 6 operating system, the book proved an invaluable teaching resource and a technical bible for a whole generation of professionals.
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K17 building, with an annular placed around the largest tree bearing the inscription, ‘Lions’ books inspired a generation of operating systems designers.’ At the same time, a Lions Chair in
Computer Science was established, funded partly through the University, but largely through the tremendous efforts of former students who he motivated and inspired with his teaching and research and who acknowledge his defining influence on their professional lives.
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In the early 1980s multiple copies of the Lion’s book were photocopied. (title) John Lions taught until 1991 and lived just long enough to see the ban on his book finally lifted in 1998. The importance of his work was recognised by the dedication on 26 June 2002 of the John Lions Garden outside the
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Legally, the book was only supposed to be available to licensees of UNIX 6 and by the time of the release of UNIX 7 in 1979, intellectual property laws were invoked to ban its publication. One programming student recalled, ‘because we couldn’t legally discuss the book in the university’s operating
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Also in the early seventies, the groundbreaking creation of the UNIX operating system and the C programming language by Bell
Laboratories researchers Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie inspired programmers globally including Lecturers Ken Robinson (on staff from 1972) and John Lions (on staff from
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UNSW had the first installation of UNIX in
Australia, and was one of the first places to be using that system outside of the USA. The School of Computer Science and Engineering has continued to base a significant amount of its teaching on UNIX-like systems, nowadays Linux.
489:. The Prize is open to high school and undergraduate university students enrolled in an Australian secondary or tertiary institution. Full-time and part-time students are eligible, as well as local and internationals students. The annual prize is valued at $ 1,000.
449:, who had lent his copies of the Lions books (used in Bell Labs internal courses) and never gotten back. Lions had graciously replaced them with autographed copies on an earlier visit of Mashey to Sydney. They now are
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systems class, several of us would meet at night in an empty classroom to discuss the book. It was the only time in my life I was an active member of an underground.’ .
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and Steve Jenkin, former students of Lions, commenced a campaign to raise funds to create a chair in his name at
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This commentary is included in an unofficial history of UNSW's
Computer Science & Engineering by
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John Lions was married to
Marianne and had two children, Katherine and Elizabeth.
433:, becoming the first chair at UNSW funded by contributions from alumni. In 2009,
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in front of the new
Computer Science and Engineering building to Lions' memory.
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Lions was involved in the setting up of an annual conference for academics, the
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and became a senior lecturer in the
Department of Computer Science at the
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in 1963. After his graduation, he worked at the consulting firm
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215:(19 January 1937 – 5 December 1998) was an Australian
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In 2011, The School of
Computer Science and Engineering at
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Lions gained a degree with first-class honours from the
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Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th
Edition, with Source Code
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Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition, with Source Code
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The John Lions Award For Research Work in Open Systems
421:. With donations from many UNSW alumni, corporations,
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and apart from sabbaticals in 1978, 1983 and 1989 at
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Academic staff of the University of New South Wales
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487:John Lions Award for Contribution to Open Software
477:John Lions Award for Contribution to Open Software
373:, their longest serving member of teaching staff.
443:1998 auction of the California UNIX license plate
337:and was its founding president from 1984 to 1986.
265:, Canada. In 1967, he briefly took a position at
437:became the inaugural John Lions Chair. Of the
305:(UNSW). In 1980, he was promoted to Associate
409:After his death, John O'Brien, Chris Maltby,
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348:for six years and was made a fellow of the
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567:The John Lions Chair in Operating Systems
273:, Canada before moving on to working for
16:Australian computer scientist (1937–1998)
49:of all important aspects of the article.
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342:Australian Computer Science Conference
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45:Please consider expanding the lead to
419:John Lions Chair of Operating Systems
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405:John Lions Chair in Computer Science
241:in 1959. He applied, and received a
219:. He is best known as the author of
441:donations, US$ 6,000 came from the
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371:Ken Robinson (computer scientist)
249:where he earned his doctorate on
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569:(University of New South Wales)
37:may be too short to adequately
598:Australian computer scientists
563:(Australian Unix Users' Group)
47:provide an accessible overview
1:
507:"UNSW CSE Timeline 1955-2007"
344:and he was the editor of the
303:University of New South Wales
189:University of New South Wales
608:Burroughs Corporation people
335:Australian UNIX Users' Group
350:Australian Computer Society
346:Australian Computer Journal
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322:His most famous work, the
453:of the collection at the
293:In 1972 he moved back to
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225:, commonly known as the
534:In Memoriam: John Lions
455:Computer History Museum
445:by Ted Dolotta, won by
247:University of Cambridge
170:University of Cambridge
512:. UNSW. Archived from
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352:for his contribution.
365:Contribution to UNSW
333:Lions organised the
267:Dalhousie University
239:University of Sydney
185:Dalhousie University
166:University of Sydney
378:John Lions and UNIX
251:Control engineering
155:Academic background
553:(Rachel Chalmers,
400:Posthumous honours
217:computer scientist
129:Computer scientist
84:John Lions in 1980
557:30 November 1999)
471:John Lions Garden
461:John Lions Garden
328:operating systems
311:Bell Laboratories
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283:Systems Analyst
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108:5 December 1998
100:19 January 1937
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538:Peter H. Salus
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138:Marianne Lions
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112:(aged 61)
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357:Personal life
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55:February 2023
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181:Institutions
110:(1998-12-05)
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34:lead section
593:Unix people
588:1998 deaths
583:1937 births
551:Code Critic
447:John Mashey
279:Los Angeles
243:scholarship
117:Nationality
577:Categories
493:References
324:Lions Book
289:Later life
233:Early life
227:Lions Book
213:John Lions
161:Alma mater
125:Occupation
120:Australian
96:1937-01-19
72:John Lions
465:In 2002,
411:Greg Rose
307:Professor
299:Australia
275:Burroughs
39:summarize
143:Children
451:members
271:Halifax
263:Ontario
259:Toronto
255:KCS Ltd
543:USENIX
439:Usenix
423:Usenix
417:, the
295:Sydney
135:Spouse
555:Salon
517:(PDF)
510:(PDF)
281:as a
545:News
483:UNSW
467:UNSW
415:UNSW
317:Work
105:Died
90:Born
277:in
269:in
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