Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!blackbox!cbradley
From: cbradley@blackbox.lonestar.org (Chris Bradley)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin
Subject: Re: Different uses of the 5th field of the passwd file.
Summary: GCOS? GECOS?
Keywords: GCOS
Message-ID: <1990Nov8.060424.1828@blackbox.lonestar.org>
Date: 8 Nov 90 06:04:24 GMT
References: <723@dynasys.UUCP> <1990Nov6.045108.20266@riacs.edu>
Sender: news@blackbox.lonestar.org
Followup-To: comp.unix.admin
Organization: Businessland Advanced Systems
Lines: 19

In article <1990Nov6.045108.20266@riacs.edu> samlb@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCS) writes:
>
>	As far as I know, every UNIX implemetation handles the so-called
>GCOS field differently -- the Ultrix 'finger' command uses the info there
>to produce display one way, Suns do it another, and SGI machines yet a
>third.  There is really no "standard" meaning for the contents of this
>field -- it is just "sorta used for names".
>

What is the `real' acronym?  I've seen both `GCOS' (in this thread) and
`GECOS' (in the docs for C News, I think)?

What is the correct expansion of the acronym?

-- 
Chris Bradley			| "I confess freely to you, I could never look 
Businessland Advanced Systems	| long upon a monkey, without very mortifying 
Dallas, Texas US		| reflections." 
cbradley@blackbox.lonestar.org	|		-- WILLIAM CONGREVE 1670-1729