Open systems are computer systems that provide some combination of interoperability, portability, and open software standard. (It can also mean specific installations that are configured to allow unrestricted access by people and/or other computers; this article does not discuss that meaning.) The term was popularized in the early 1980s, mainly to describe systems based on Unix, especially in contrast to the more entrenched mainframes and minicomputers in use at that time. Unlike older legacy systems, the newer generation of Unix systems featured standardized programming interfaces and peripheral interconnects; third party development of hardware and software was encouraged, a significant departure from the norm of the time, which saw companies such as Amdahl and Hitachi going to court for the right to sell systems and peripherals that were compatible with IBM's mainframes. The definition of "open system" can be said to have become mo

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