6 Feb
2020
6 Feb
'20
3:59 a.m.
Andrew Newman [05/02/2020 22.03]:
Somewhat related. My first “real” job after
university, and
introduction to UNIX
et al, was using IBM machines running VM/370 and the CMS single-user OS
for user
accounts. CMS used long command names but, like some other OSes of its
ilk, allowed
you to define what it called “abbreviations" via a count of the minimum
number of
unique, leading, characters from which it could determine the actual
command name.
The CMS file copy program was “copyfile” but the abbreviation length, at
least at
our “shop", was 2 and everyone used “co”. Similarly the editor “xedit”
was “x”.
I always found that amusing considering complaints about cryptic UNIX names.
Norsk Data's OS Sintran was the same, except that "COLD-START" (reboot
the OS) was defined twice, so you had to spell it out in full.
--
Hilsen Harald