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From: guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: N unrelated functions in one program
Message-ID: <541@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Mar-85 12:52:49 EST
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.541
Posted: Sat Mar  2 12:52:49 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Mar-85 02:06:23 EST
References: <8608@brl-tgr.ARPA> <520@rlgvax.UUCP> <6340@boring.UUCP>
Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA
Lines: 21

> WHY DID THEY TAKE THE '-n' OPTION OUT OF PR AT THE V6->V7
> TRANSITION??????

They probably felt that line numbering could be done by a separate
utility - unfortunately, V7 didn't come with one.  The USG "pr" must have
been picked up before they removed "-n", because it has that option.
(I don't mind using a separate utility, although I again ask "Is all the
complex stuff in the S3/S5 'nl' really used?")

And while we're on the subject, I'd like to point out one case where Berkeley
*removed* a function from something - a function that didn't belong there
in the first place, and which caused a fair bit of pain.  They removed all
the funny blank-line-elimination/form-feed-insertion glop from the
line printer driver.  Now you can "nroff" something with a macro package
that doesn't keep the first and last three lines of every page blank, and
print it, without getting shafted by the line printer driver.  A small
bouquet to the person who removed that stuff - if you want pagination, let
some utility like "pr" or "nroff" do it.

	Guy Harris
	{seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy