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Operating Systems and Their Family Tree

Two joinable datasets on system software's actual genealogy: 1,756 operating systems and 857 typed derivation edges (824 Based on, the Ubuntu-to-Debian kind; 33 Influenced by, the Unix-to-Multics kind), closed so the tree loads straight into networkx. The roster survived two ontology ambushes worth disclosing: an unbounded subclass walk once imported thousands of investment-bank projects (the walk is now bounded to three hops, where every real family lives), and Unix itself is typed project and class in the graph, so membership requires an OS signal in the type or family labels, which also evicted a Tokio Hotel live album that arrived typed Live CD. Each system carries developer, first release (Unix 1969, Linux 1991, Windows 1985, all pinned by test), discontinued year with an Active flag (46 honest deaths, Windows Nashville among them, typed abandoned project), license, and Written_In, which is a cross-topic join: the values match the Language column of the Programming Languages dataset, asserted by test with 15-plus shared languages. The decade curve tells the story: 4 systems from the 1950s, 224 first releases in the 2010s, and the distribution explosion in between. Built with a 12-test acceptance suite including edge closure, the arrow of time on Based-on edges (85%-plus of dated edges point backward), and the purity guard that keeps investment banking out of system software.
2,613 rows 2 joinable files last pulled 2026-09-22
Systems 1,756 rows × 11 columns
OSOS_IDTypeFamilyDeveloperFirst_Release_YearDiscontinued_YearActiveLicenseWritten_InOS_URL
Derivation Edges 857 rows × 7 columns
Edge_TypeFromFrom_IDFrom_YearToTo_IDTo_Year

Questions and answers

What is the Operating Systems and Their Family Tree dataset?

Two joinable datasets on system software's actual genealogy: 1,756 operating systems and 857 typed derivation edges (824 Based on, the Ubuntu-to-Debian kind; 33 Influenced by, the Unix-to-Multics kind), closed so the tree loads straight into networkx. The roster survived two ontology ambushes worth disclosing: an unbounded subclass walk once imported thousands of investment-bank projects (the walk is now bounded to three hops, where every real family lives), and Unix itself is typed project and class in the graph, so membership requires an OS signal in the type or family labels, which also evicted a Tokio Hotel live album that arrived typed Live CD. Each system carries developer, first release (Unix 1969, Linux 1991, Windows 1985, all pinned by test), discontinued year with an Active flag (46 honest deaths, Windows Nashville among them, typed abandoned project), license, and Written_In, which is a cross-topic join: the values match the Language column of the Programming Languages dataset, asserted by test with 15-plus shared languages. The decade curve tells the story: 4 systems from the 1950s, 224 first releases in the 2010s, and the distribution explosion in between. Built with a 12-test acceptance suite including edge closure, the arrow of time on Based-on edges (85%-plus of dated edges point backward), and the purity guard that keeps investment banking out of system software.

How big is the Operating Systems and Their Family Tree dataset?

2,613 rows across 2 joinable files, with 18 columns in total: OS, OS_ID, Type, Family, Developer, First_Release_Year, Discontinued_Year, Active, License, Written_In, OS_URL, Edge_Type, From, From_ID, From_Year, To, To_ID, To_Year.

Where does the data come from?

It is built by programmatically scraping wikidata.org, last pulled on 2026-09-22. Datasets are versioned; older versions stay downloadable.

Is the dataset free to download?

Yes. Every CodeSights dataset is completely free as a CSV download; a free account is all it takes. Anyone can preview the data without signing in.

Can I see the code that built this dataset?

Yes. The exact Python scraper that built it is viewable on the dataset page by any signed-in member, so every number is reproducible.

How do the files join?

Join on OS_ID: edges.From_ID and edges.To_ID both point at operating_systems.OS_ID (From is the descendant). Written_In joins the Programming Languages dataset on language name.

Can the data contain errors?

Automated scraping leaves room for error and the underlying sources change over time, so no version is guaranteed accurate or complete. If a number matters, verify it against the original source.

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