DEC MICA

MICA
DeveloperDigital Equipment Corporation
Written inPILLAR, C, SPASM
Working stateAbandoned
Source modelProprietary software
Marketing targetMinicomputers, Workstations
Available inEnglish
PlatformsDEC PRISM
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel
UserlandVMS and ULTRIX
InfluencedWindows NT
Influenced byVAX/VMS, Ultrix, VAXELN
Default
user interface
DCL, Unix shell, DECwindows
LicenseProprietary

MICA was the codename of the operating system developed for the DEC PRISM architecture.[1] MICA was designed by a team at Digital Equipment Corporation led by Dave Cutler.[2] MICA's design was driven by Digital's need to provide a migration path to PRISM for Digital's VAX/VMS customers, as well as allowing PRISM systems to compete in the increasingly important Unix market.[3] MICA attempted to address these requirements by implementing VMS and ULTRIX user interfaces on top of a common kernel that could support the system calls (or "system services" in VMS parlance), libraries and utilities needed for both environments.[4]

MICA was cancelled in 1988 along with the PRISM architecture, before either project was complete. MICA is most notable for inspiring the design of Windows NT (also designed by Cutler) .[2] When the PRISM architecture evolved into the DEC Alpha architecture, Digital opted to port OSF/1 and VMS to Alpha instead of reusing MICA.[5]

  1. ^ Dave Cutler (1988-05-30). "DECwest/SDT Agenda" (PDF). bitsavers.org.
  2. ^ a b Zachary, G. Pascal (2014). Showstopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-4804-9484-8. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  3. ^ W.D. Strecker (1987-12-07). "Unix Strategy" (PDF). bitsavers.org. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  4. ^ "PRISM Systems Overview" (PDF). November 1986. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  5. ^ "EV-4 (1992)". 2008-02-24.