Multics had long names and short names for many commands. `ls` was the short name for `list`, for instance. See "additional names" in https://multicians.org/mga.html.
On 15 Sep 2024, at 20:21, Rik Farrow <rik@rikfarrow.com> wrote:
Was the brevity typical of Unix command names a function of the tiny disk and memory available? Or more a function of having a Teletype 33 for input? Of course, it could simply be that 'cat' is more convenient than 'catenate'...
Hangover from assembly mnemonics, perhaps.