🚀 go-pugleaf

Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no> wrote with possible deletions:

| [Ron Natalie]
| 
| |   Certainly, UNIX predates the IBM PC.  One main reason UNIX uses / is
| |   that it was a lot easier to type for such a frequently used character.
| |   UNIX used -x for options where DOS copied the CPM construct of using
| |   "/x" for options (who intern picked up the idea from some of the early
| |   DEC OS's).
| 
| also note that the backslash is a user interface issue.  you used to be
| able to choose the option character with OPTCHAR (I think) in CONFIG.SYS.
| I haven't touched a Microsoft-infested computer in many years, so I don't
| know if this is possible, anymore.  I set OPTCHAR=-, and DOS programs
| printed all paths with / instead of \, and I could use "dir -w".  Microsoft
| was acceptable then.
| 
| but you still cannot put / in DOS filenames, and the reason is that DOS
| also interprets / as a directory separator.  most DOS users don't know this
| and think you're lying.  these users also think you have to name files the
| same as DOS says they are called, and complain loudly when you suggest they
| call their files "FOO.HTML" instead of "FOO.HTM", even though DOS doesn't
| know the difference between any two file "extensions" that have the same
| first characters.  (curiously, these users don't feel compelled to write
| DOS filenames in all capitals.)
| 
| the worst part about DOS is that it invites users to think that a computer
| is only that which they see, and Windows doubly so.  (Mac users _know_ it
| isn't. :)
| 
| #<Erik 3028582219>
| 
| #<Erik 3028582239>
| -- 
| suppose we actually were immortal...
| what is the opposite of living your life as if every day were your last?

Kind remove comp.lang.eiffel from distribution of this thread.

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Colin James III, Principal Scientist  cjames@cec-services.com
CEC Services, 2080 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO  80215-1502   USA
Voice: 303.231.9437;  Facsimile: .231.9438;  Data:  .231.9434  
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