Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pegasus.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!drutx!mtuxo!pegasus!avi From: avi@pegasus.UUCP (Avi E. Gross) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: # comment character Message-ID: <2401@pegasus.UUCP> Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 19:20:53 EDT Article-I.D.: pegasus.2401 Posted: Wed Jun 26 19:20:53 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 06:41:00 EDT References: <291@ucdavis.UUCP> Reply-To: avi@pegasus.UUCP (60545451-Avi E. Gross;LZ 3C-314;6241) Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft NJ Lines: 23 In article <291@ucdavis.UUCP> ccrrick@ucdavis.UUCP (Rick Heli) writes: >Can anyone tell me why the # character is a comment in INTERACTIVE >mode in the shell? I mean, who goes around making comments that >will never be seen again while running the shell in interactive >mode? Why should it mean anything else in interactive mode? I often create complicated commands I would like to execute later and put a '#' at the beginning. Then, when I am ready to run it (often after another process has completed running in the background or another window), I use the nifty Korn shell commands to return to that line, strip the '#' and actually run it. Similarly, I sometimes enter an in-line function, with some lines commented out and run it. After checkking to see that it does the right things, I edit it and remove the '#'s. A better question is why the '#' character was used as a comment character when the typical UNIX*TM Operating System came with '#' as the default character-delete character? -- -=> Avi E. Gross @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6241 suggested paths: [ihnp4, allegra, cbosg, ahuta, ...]!pegasus!avi