Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: '#' as comment character vs. '#' as erase character Message-ID: <5780@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 13:18:48 EDT Article-I.D.: utzoo.5780 Posted: Thu Jul 11 13:18:48 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 13:18:48 EDT References: <291@ucdavis.UUCP> <2401@pegasus.UUCP>, <2360@sun.uucp> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 19 > ... The policy of > echoing things blindly also forced the policy of suppressing the output of > the EOT character... In case people are interesting in knowing *why* EOT had to be suppressed, it's because some communications-oriented terminals power themselves down when they get an EOT. The idea is to let the terminal sit on something like a Telex line in "standby" mode, with the moving parts powered up only when there is actually an incoming message. The first Unix machine I worked with had such a terminal (a GE Terminet 1200) as its console. Back before we got Unix, there was a little competition going for a while to see who could write the most thorough shutdown program under RT11. Such programs typically cleared memory, write- protected the disks, powered down the console terminal, and then halted the CPU after doing a tricky little dance so that all the console lights would be out when the halt went into effect. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry