Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!rbj
From: rbj@uunet.UU.NET (Root Boy Jim)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: why different swapping modes on executables?
Message-ID: <126600@uunet.UU.NET>
Date: 27 Mar 91 23:23:38 GMT
References: <1991Mar12.104352.23097@kithrup.COM> <573@adpplz.UUCP> <126505@uunet.UU.NET>
Organization: UUNET Communications Services, Falls Church, VA
Lines: 39

In article <126505@uunet.UU.NET> rbj@uunet.UU.NET (Root Boy Jim) writes:
>In article <573@adpplz.UUCP> martin@adpplz.UUCP (Martin Golding) writes:
>
>>My impression is that the (original) version of the Magic Number was
>>the actual value to load into the PDP 11 MMU control register, to select
>>one or the other model.
>
>HAHAHAHA! It's even worse than that! The Magic Number was a JUMP
>(actually a branch) across the a.out header. A 407 executable
>had a seven word (14 byte) header, a 410, eight words, 411 nine...
>Sneaky, huh?
>-- 
>		[rbj@uunet 1] stty sane
>		unknown mode: sane

I suppose this is one for the computer folklore file.
In my mailbox this morning was the following message:

	From dmr@research.att.com Wed Mar 27 01:49:38 1991
	From: dmr@research.att.com
	Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 01:49:26 EST
	To: rbj@uunet.UU.NET
	Subject: 407 [netnews]

 	> HAHAHAHA! It's even worse than that! The Magic Number was a JUMP
 	> (actually a branch) across the a.out header. A 407 executable
 	> had a seven word (14 byte) header, a 410, eight words, 411 nine...
 	> Sneaky, huh?

	Nonsense.

        	Dennis Ritchie

Perhaps this was actually considered at one time but cooler heads prevailed?
I'm sure many people would be delighted with an elaboration.

-- 
		[rbj@uunet 1] stty sane
		unknown mode: sane