Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1+some 2/3/84; site dual.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!eagle!harpo!ihnp4!dual!paul From: paul@dual.UUCP (Baker) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.cog-eng Subject: Re: hang vol_ser=123456 file=mytape mode=read_write density=1600 Message-ID: <363@dual.UUCP> Date: Sun, 18-Mar-84 03:40:02 EST Article-I.D.: dual.363 Posted: Sun Mar 18 03:40:02 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 19-Mar-84 07:26:02 EST References: <3533@utcsrgv.UUCP>, <135@looking.UUCP> Organization: Dual Systems, Berkeley, CA Lines: 13 Yes, it's one of the many obnoxious features of UN*X that to get a feature for most programs you need '-' something or other. To any sane person '-' something would tend to mean that the feature would be revoked not invoked. Another related gripe is that, even though the overpriced C programmers bible says that the order of command line parameters should not be important, it almost always is, even in very frequently used programs such as 'ls'. It complains bitterly if '-last' occurs after the filename(s). The form of command line listed in the Subject line is inherently insensitive to order, much like the DEC TOPS-10 method of submitting command parameters. Paul