SIMH

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Open SIMH
[[Programmer|DeveloperTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Robert M. Supnik
Initial release1993[1]
Template:Infobox software/simple
Written inC
Operating systemWindows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, OpenVMS
Platformx86, IA-64, PowerPC, SPARC, ARM
TypeHardware virtualization
LicenseBSD-style licenses
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SIMH is a free and open source, multi-platform multi-system emulator. It is maintained by Bob Supnik, a former DEC engineer and DEC vice president, based on a much older systems emulator called MIMIC.

History

SIMH was based on a much older systems emulator called MIMIC, which was written in the late 1960s at Applied Data Research.[1] SIMH was started in 1993 with the purpose of preserving minicomputer hardware and software that was fading into obscurity.[1]

In May 2022, the MIT License of SIMH version 4 on GitHub was unilaterally modified by a contributor to make it no longer free software, by adding a clause that revokes the right to use any subsequent revisions of the software containing their contributions if modifications that "influence the behaviour of the disk access activities" are made.[2] As of 27 May 2022, Supnik no longer endorses version 4 on his official website for SIMH due to these changes, only recognizing the "classic" version 3.x releases. The classic version continues to be maintained, with version 3.12-5 released on 16 July 2024.[3][4]

On 3 June 2022, the last revision of SIMH not subject to this clause (licensed under BSD licenses and the MIT License) was forked by the group Open SIMH, with a new governance model and steering group that includes Supnik and others. The Open SIMH group cited that a "situation" had arisen in the project that compromised its principles. Open SIMH is governed by a Steering Group that includes Supnik, Clem Cole, Richard Cornwell, Paul Koning, Timothe Litt, and Seth Morabito.[5][6]

Emulated hardware

Version 6 Unix for the PDP-11, running in SIMH
Version 7 Unix for the PDP-11, running in SIMH
"4.3 BSD UNIX" from the University of Wisconsin, on a simulated VAX.

SIMH emulates hardware from the following companies.

Advanced Computer Design

  • PDQ-3

AT&T

BESM

Burroughs

Control Data Corporation

Data General

Digital Equipment Corporation

GRI Corporation

Hewlett-Packard

Honeywell

Hobbyist projects

IBM

Intel

  • Intel systems 8010 and 8020

Interdata

Lincoln Labs – MIT Research Lab

Manchester University

MITS

Norsk Data

Royal-Mcbee

Sage Computer Technology

  • Sage II

Scientific Data Systems

SWTPC

Systems Engineering Laboratories

  • SEL-32 both Concept-32 and PowerNode systems

Xerox Data Systems

References

  1. ^ a b c "Preserving Computing's Past: Restoration and Simulation" Max Burnet and Bob Supnik, Digital Technical Journal, Volume 8, Number 3, 1996.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."simh repo: Add top level COPYRIGHT and LICENSE files · simh/simh@ce2adce". GitHub. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SimH "Classic"". simh.trailing-edge.com. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SimH "Classic"". simh.trailing-edge.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04. The V4 GitHub repository has been placed under a modified license that effectively makes it closed source. It will no longer be referenced here.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."simh@groups.io | Announcing the Open SIMH project". 2022-06-03. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."simh@groups.io | Announcing the Open SIMH project". 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Altair Other Operating Systems". schorn.ch. Retrieved 2026-04-30.

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