UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I posted a message on a board asking if unix and linux could run on one pc.
I was told unix cannot run on a pc. Then i was told unix variations can run on a pc but the orignial unix,..a 64 bit os cannot run on a computer.
Now i've seen 386's run unix, my friend has a 386 altos ..that cant be 64 bit...so can the original unix run on a new computer today, and what the heck is the difference between unix on a server and unix on a pc. Thank you so much for your time and i look forward to your reply.
smitty.

I don't recall the original UNIX running on 64-bit architecture. Which UNIX was that? Year? Make? Version? CPU?

dunno, all i know is with visual studio 6.0 i have unix. I asked if i could run linux and unix together, and this person tells me you cant run unix on a computer cause its 64 bit, then he tells me you can run variations. Well is their that much difference in variations?
I just wanted to learn the program with linux, so i dont have to have two computers.
any advice is helpfull
me

Unix as an operating system does not exist. As Neo states so well, it's an architectural design - a style. Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, BSD, SCO... they're all "Unix". And yes, you can run different 'types' of Unix on the same machine.

Also, the "original" UNIX was slow, cumbersome (you had to reboot the system before you could use a newly created directory), and underdeveloped. That was in 1969. Now, the various Unices comprise a giant chunk of the world's high-end servers, and is even making headway in the desktop world. It has become one of the most advanced, powerful, flexible, and stable operating system in the world.

P.S. - The first development efforts at Bell Labs in 1969 were on a PDP-7 computer... far from 64-bit. It had an 18 bit word space. Wierd, wild stuff, man!

Sorry, I nearly forgot my point. Yes, you can install Linux on your PC. It can ever co-exist with Windows. Search the forum for more information on dual-boot, which is the best, and how to do it.