Unix is a general term and refers to several different operating systems that share many features and the same style. Since its creation, Unix has been built on and branched off dozens of times.

It is a computing system that was first created by Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in the 70s, and later developed by AT&T. The term UNIX is short for (sort of) UNiplex Information and Computing System. UNICS sounds like UNIX, which was trademarked by Novell. So UNIX is the name.

What makes UNIX utterly unique from operating systems like Windows, DOS, or System 8 (for Macs) is that UNIX has been designed from the ground up as a multiuser system. It is an operating system that allows multiple users to share the same computer at the same time. It also allows multiple computers to be hooked up on the same network. Working in a multiuser networked environment is different. It's weird. It's confusing. So don't feel daunted. Even if you are an experienced PC user, there are new things to learn. 

Unix is a powerful tool and is found in almost every large company today. Because of the power and flexibility of Unix, combined with serveral free versions, Unix is rapidly finding itself running as company web and mail servers.

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