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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: '#' as comment character vs. '#' as erase character
Message-ID: <5750@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 2-Jul-85 12:53:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5750
Posted: Tue Jul  2 12:53:19 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Jul-85 12:53:19 EDT
References: <291@ucdavis.UUCP> <2401@pegasus.UUCP>, <2360@sun.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 11

>	2) Why were the '#' and '@' characters used as editing characters,
>	   other than nostalgia for Multics (which used lots of weird IBM
>	   2741 printing terminals over half-duplex lines, and couldn't
>	   do much better)...

Remember what system KLT and DMR had been working on immediately before
the development of Unix.  Their fingers were very definitely trained for
Multics typing conventions.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry