Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!mks!andy From: andy@mks.UUCP (Andy Toy) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: ^Z in files (was: Unix-like cat for MS-DOS) Message-ID: <1436@mks.UUCP> Date: 12 Aug 89 00:20:10 GMT References: <380@wjh12.harvard.edu> Reply-To: andy@mks.waterloo.edu (Andy Toy) Distribution: na Organization: Mortice Kern Systems, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Lines: 27 In article <380@wjh12.harvard.edu> djb@wjh12.UUCP (David J. Birnbaum) writes: >I looked for an MS-DOS implemen- >tation and tried the one in picnix31, but it includes the EOF >character and I am unable to concatenate text files and then look >at them without tripping over the embedded control-Z. There doesn't >seem to be a switch that would concatenate text files and dump the >extra control-Zs (retaining the one at the end of the last file, of >course). Why, oh why, do programmes insist on putting ^Z in files? ^Z is just another character and it could be in files for real. There is absolutely no reason to have ^Z in MS-DOS files because there no requirement for a MS-DOS file to end in ^Z. The actual size of the files is stored elsewhere. It is a real ascii code and and should not be thrown away and it should not be tossed in unless it's part of the file. Help stomp out putting ^Z at the end of files indiscrimimently and preserve the friendly ^Z that is supposed to be in the file. And be sure not use software that pads the whole last block with ^Zs (shudder)! Well, there, I got it out of my system :-) -- Andy Toy, Mortice Kern Systems Inc., Internet: andy@mks.com 35 King Street North, Waterloo, UUCP: uunet!watmath!mks!andy Ontario, CANADA N2J 2W9 Phone: 519/884-2251 FAX: 519/884-8861