🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: net.micro.atari
Article #2574

Carriage_Returns Line_Feeds New_lines

#2574
From: Computer Center
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1986 02:12
37 lines
2319 bytes
The American National Standrds Institute document ANSI X3.4-1977
titled "Code for Information Interchange" is the reference source
for ASCII.

There are items on page 10 (Line Feed and Carriage Return) and on
page 17 (Interoperation of "LF" and "NL" ASCII Equipment).

The page 10 entries clearly state that a single character "New Line"
function should use the "Line Feed" character for this function, i.e.
the existence of such a function is context dependent but if defined
it is to use the hex 0A code. This is the convention that Unix uses
for internal storage of text.

In any case the "Carriage Return" has no standing as a "New Line"
character. This is certainly appropriate since we need to use it
on many printers for overstrike functions, e.g. underlining.

Some brain damaged systems designed by people ignorant of the standard
actually store both the "Carriage Return" and "Line Feed" within data
files as a line break code, thereby wasting an average of 2 - 5 % of
the file storage space and complicating the programs which deal with
these files.

The item on page 17 defines the combinations to be used in sending
to mechanical devices so that the action produced will be consistent
whether the device follows the "New Line" interpretation of code hex 0A
or not.

If conversions of the single character representation to a two (or more)
character representation are desired this is appropriately done at the
device driver level (and is universally available in Unix terminal port
drivers).

The writer who complained of getting standard representation in files
transferred from Unix to another operating system has a deficient
file transfer program for the environment (between two operating
systems) in which it was used.
Technical Details
Message-ID: <444@ucsfcca.UUCP>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca!root

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucsfcca.UUCP
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca!root
From: root@ucsfcca.UUCP (Computer Center)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari
Subject: Carriage_Returns Line_Feeds New_lines
Message-ID: <444@ucsfcca.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Feb-86 21:12:25 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcca.444
Posted: Thu Feb 27 21:12:25 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 18:07:28 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: UCSF Computer Center
Lines: 37