Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!convex!felps From: felps@convex.com (Robert Felps) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: What does rc stand for? Message-ID: Date: 26 Feb 91 12:21:06 GMT References: <1991Feb20.151226.3076@monsanto.com> <5375@tellab5.tellabs.com> <15283@smoke.brl.mil> <1991Feb22.094951.9539@news.cs.indiana.edu> Sender: news@convex.com (news access account) Organization: Convex Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx. Lines: 30 Nntp-Posting-Host: mikey.convex.com In <1991Feb22.094951.9539@news.cs.indiana.edu> sahayman@porbeagle.cs.indiana.edu (Steve Hayman) writes: > >I suspect the answer is in the Frequently Asked Questions list. >Actually, this one isn't. I thought it was. I'm trying to find out >some sort of 'official' documentation of what 'rc' stands for - it's not >in the jargon file, and I couldn't find anytning in "Life with Unix" - >and if I do, I'll add it to the FAQ list. >If anyone has any firm confirmation of what 'rc' stands for, please email me. >(Please don't email me just to say "I think it stands for 'run command'".) I worked for an RBOC (Southwestern Bell) and one of the managers who had worked at Bell Labs made the statment that /etc/rc was the "Run Card" file for booting the system. That is, each job you run through a card reader has a Run Card to start the job running. Thus UNIX needed a run card to start running. It just so happened that the this file was considered the run card and thus named rc. Whether this is true are not, I have no idea, but it sounded good at the time. >Thanks, >Steve >The FAQ guy. >P.S. Now that the jargon file is getting fairly wide distribution, >I'm thinking of dropping the pronunciation section from the FAQ list >and replacing it with a pointer to the jargon file. If anybody feels >strongly one way or the other about this, please let me know.