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From: gene@batman.UUCP (Gene Mutschler)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: Humor ala Kernighan
Message-ID: <119@batman.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 18:13:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: batman.119
Posted: Wed Jul 10 18:13:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 03:58:38 EDT
References: <714@vax2.fluke.UUCP> <243@ttrdc.UUCP> <4573@mit-eddie.UUCP> <894@loral.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Burroughs Austin Research Center, TX
Lines: 30

> >This reminds me of a Fortran compiler I used to use years ago on a 
> >XEROX 560 computer:  If you did the following
> >
> >      ASSIGN xx JAIL
> >      GO TO JAIL
> >
> >In the compiler listing would be the following, right after the statement:
> >      GO DIRECTLY.  DO NOT PASS GO.  DO NOT COLLECT 200 DOLLARS.
> 
> 	On the H.P. 2100 computer I once used, entering the command "WHY"
> to the operating system provoked the response:
> 
> WHY NOT?
On the Burroughs B5500, the console command

        EI

met with the response 

         EIO

obviously enough.  We had a B5500 at school (Rice).  I went to work
for Burroughs at the Large Systems Plant, which by then made the B6700.
My first day on the job, I walked up to the B6700 console and typed
"EI" and got the (rather surprising, to say the least) response

       EMERGENCY INTERRUPT SET

Not quite as bad as it sounds--it stops further selection of jobs--but
I had a fun time explaining how it came to be set.