Why is it called daemon?
The term daemon was coined by programmers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Project MAC (Mathematics and Computation) in 1963, inspired by Maxwell’s demon, an imaginary agent in physics and thermodynamics. In a thought experiment devised by James Clerk Maxwell in 1867, a demon would control a small massless door between two chambers of gas, forcing…
The term daemon was coined by programmers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Project MAC (Mathematics and Computation) in 1963, inspired by Maxwell’s demon, an imaginary agent in physics and thermodynamics. In a thought experiment devised by James Clerk Maxwell in 1867, a demon would control a small massless door between two chambers of gas, forcing fast-moving molecules to pass through in one direction and slow-moving molecules to pass in the other direction.
Why is it called a daemon?
Many people equate the word “daemon” with the word “demon”, implying some kind of satanic connection between UNIX and the underworld. In Greek mythology, a daemon was considered a supernatural being or power.
The MIT programmers thought demon would be an appropriate name for a background process that worked tirelessly to perform system chores. But instead of using the term demon, they used daemon, which is an older form of the word. The ancient Greeks’ concept of a “personal daemon” was similar to the modern concept of a “guardian angel”eudaemonia is the state of being helped or protected by a kindly spirit.
