Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucdavis.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucdavis!ccrrick From: ccrrick@ucdavis.UUCP (Rick Heli) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: # comment character Message-ID: <357@ucdavis.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 18:17:27 EDT Article-I.D.: ucdavis.357 Posted: Fri Jul 12 18:17:27 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 13:36:00 EDT Distribution: net Organization: University of California, Davis Lines: 30 Well, I certainly received many interesting answers to my question about why the # is a comment in the interactive mode in the shell. Thank you. A few thoughts on the responses: One person said he uses it in connection with the history mechanism. Well, the Bourne shell has no history mechanism, so his answer is only useful to Korn shell users and those who've hacked shell. Another person said that the shell makes no distinction between interactive and non-interactive mode. But on the other hand, the # is a comment in C shell scripts, but not in C shell interactive mode. This makes me doubt that shell makes no distinction. Finally, someone else asked what kind of special function I would like to give to the # character. Actually, there is none. I would like it to be a regular member of the character set for use in marking certain kinds of files. I frankly don't see why I should need a comment in interactive mode and besides I could use ":" if I wanted to use it inside script or something. -- ----- "Rescue your DNPC from a horrifying menace today!" ----- --rick heli (... ucbvax!ucdavis!groucho!ccrrick)