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From: mark@gcs.com (Mark Bolzern)
Subject: Re: Language "ranking" based on posts to users groups
Organization: WorkGroup Solutions, Inc (WGS Linux Pro & FlagShip)
Distribution: inet
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 1995 00:48:40 GMT
Message-ID: <DK9u94.8JH@gcs.com>
References: <4at4t0$j5j@garden.csc.calpoly.edu> <4bbjbo$n8r@news.iwl.net> <4bcf8m$v1h@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> <y5a3fa8e9ft.fsf@graphics.cs.nyu.edu>
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.c++:166537 comp.lang.c:168676 comp.lang.tcl:40275 comp.lang.ada:39143 comp.lang.smalltalk:32750 comp.lang.asm.x86:15335 comp.lang.fortran:36115 comp.lang.postscript:38308 comp.lang.java:12391 comp.lang.clipper:9271 comp.lang.forth:25465 comp.lang.cobol:7107 comp.lang.rexx:13789 comp.lang.eiffel:12305 comp.lang.python:7631 comp.lang.lisp:20343 comp.lang.scheme:14683

In article <y5a3fa8e9ft.fsf@graphics.cs.nyu.edu>,
David Fox <fox@graphics.cs.nyu.edu> wrote:
>In article <4bcf8m$v1h@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> larrys@enemax.zk3.dec.com (Larry Smith) writes:
>
>] In article <4bbjbo$n8r@news.iwl.net>, jayg@iwl.net (Jay Goldberg) writes:
>] >>(3)  The guy who came up with the forward slash addressing in UNIX is
>] >>a disgruntled DOS system developer that got fired without severance
>] >>pay.
>] 
>] >What came first. The DOS backslash or the Unix forward slash. I was under
>] >the impression that it was the Unix forward slash that was first.
>] 
>] What a bizarre concept.  Unix came first by over a decade, and wasn't
>] the first to use '/' even then, it was based on Multics, which was, if
>] I recall correctly, the first major OS with hierarchical directories
>] and which used the slash to create pathnames for them back in the 70's,
>] and long before DOS ever came about.  For crying out loud, DOS 1.0 didn't
>] even have hierarchical directories, they were retconned into it in 2.0,
>] in the early 80's!
>
>Paul Allen said in a Wired interview ("Accidental Billionaire")
>that he meant to use a forward slash but he used the backslash by
>mistake because of his dyslexia.  I'm not sure I believe this,
>however.

When Microsoft started adopting ideas from their Ideal operating system
"Xenix" which they licensed from AT&T, and AT&T called Unix, they wanted
to make sure they would not be sued.  IBM didn't want something they would
have to pay royalies to AT&T for, and Digital Research (CP/M) went surfing
instead of meeting the IBM guys... so Bill bought an OS that was a lot
like CP/M for the 8086, and then went from there, swiping ideas from 
Unix, but modifying them ever so slightly.   That is why DOS people can 
become comfortable in Unix very quickly if their fear doesn't stop them
from opening their eyes.

Do / became \, - became /, etc.  See the file on my FTP site talking 
about this.  The filename is ftp://ftp.wgs.com/pub2/wgs/cmndxref.txt
It is the manuscript for an article published in DataBased Advisor.  
While you are there, look at the rest of this index, you might find
other interesting things to look at.

Mark

-- 
        Mark Bolzern :  mark@wgs.com    WorkGroup Solutions, Inc. 
          Try WGS Linux Pro, WebKit, and FlagShip, You'll lovem
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