What is the meaning of *nix?

linux, operating-system, ruby, unix

Solution

*nix just means operating systems that are like the old workhorse Unix. Some examples include Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X (its kernel, Darwin, is based on BSD).

The main relation between *nix and Ruby is just a pragmatic one; most Ruby developers seem to prefer to work on Unix-like OSes (typically Linux or Mac OS X). There's no official relationship, and it's quite possible to work with Ruby on non-*nix OSes like Windows.

Problem

What is the meaning of *nix, and what is its relation with Ruby? Just saw that in an interview question... I think there is something to do with UNIX distros, but I am not sure. Could not find it here or in the Wikipedia, so I am asking. What is the meaning ? And what is its relation with Ruby ? because the question was about Ruby.

Original source