Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site packet.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amd70!packet!cfv From: cfv@packet.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: -u considered harmful Message-ID: <322@packet.UUCP> Date: Tue, 26-Jul-83 12:09:15 EDT Article-I.D.: packet.322 Posted: Tue Jul 26 12:09:15 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 28-Jul-83 20:16:38 EDT Organization: PacketCable,Inc. Cupertino, CA. Lines: 29 In line with the new philosphy of Unix programming (CPSCI 107/Phil 114), I see a place where it looks like we need to rethink what we are doing. Instead of installing a '-u' option in every command that might someday need it (cat -u, lpr -u, herbie -u), generalizing the unbuffered is probably the best bet so that it can be used consistently over all programs... Probably the best place for it would be in the shell as a calling line parameter. My thought would be something like: {%,$} =u cat ... with the = showing that this is a shell parameter instead of a command parameter. Perhaps this could even be extended so that the '=u' could be anywhere on the calling line invisibly to the program (parsed along with other metacharacters, perhaps). This thought leads to one other possibility. I have always felt that there should be some way to tell the shell to turn off metacharacter parsing so you could pass them to a program easily (something like 'tar xv /usr/l*' comes to mind. This could be turned on by something like the '=p' parameter, and we might even want to use a '=P' parameter so it can be selectively turned on and off, but that would be better done by quotes. comments? -- >From the dungeons of the Warlock: Chuck Von Rospach ucbvax!amd70!packet!cfv (chuqui@mit-mc) <- obsolete!