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From: exspes@gdr.bath.ac.uk (P E Smee)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: So, anyone got an imitation Multics 'memo' command?
Message-ID: <1991May17.173657.29391@gdr.bath.ac.uk>
Date: 17 May 91 17:36:57 GMT
References: <1991May14.161704.27609@gdr.bath.ac.uk>
Reply-To: P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
Organization: University of Bristol c/o University of Bath
Lines: 44

In article <1991May14.161704.27609@gdr.bath.ac.uk> P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee) writes:
>Well, one thing this 'what happened to Multics' discussion has brought
>out is that there are a lot of ex-Multicians hiding out there in the
>Unix woodwork.
>
>So, has anyone out there got a PD or personally-implemented substitute
>for the Multics 'memo' command, running on Unix, which they'd be
>willing to share?

Well, so far in response to this I've had a (not very encouraging)
pointer to a thing called 'calend' which I might be able to pick up
from one of the archive sites.  If that was all, I wouldn't bother
replying to myself, but I've received a number of pieces of mail which
fall into two categories which might yield to outside help.  (If I knew
which newsgroup the posters had seen this in, I'd limit my reply, but
since I dont...)

First, a number of people have asked me if information about the
Multics command set (and in one extreme case, also the subroutine
library) is available.  Preferably online.  I don't know, does anyone?
(I kept my copies of the commands manual, and of the subroutines
library, but as the first is about 1100 pages long, and the second even
bigger, I'm not ABOUT to type them in. :-)  And, I'm no longer in a
position to resurrect the info files from the distribution tapes.
Anyone got this stuff online?  Will HIS still sell manuals for their
non-existent implementation of computer-nirvana? 

Second, I've had 3 people reply along lines of 'that [memo] sounds like
it would be fun to try writing, can you give me a description of how it
works?'  Since I'm always happy to help people out where it requires
little effort on my part (and particularly when the results might
satisfy one of my perceived needs) a bulk answer:  I'll generate a
reasonable description of its black-box behavior (don't want to
pre-empt implementation details) and mail it to you guys (and/or post
it, if I get any more such requests over the weekend).  Do note it's
non-trivial, primarily because the standard Unix date/time handling
library routines aren't up to the task, so you'll have to invent
something along those lines as well.

Cheers...

-- 
Paul Smee, Computing Service, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK
 P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk - ..!uunet!ukc!bsmail!p.smee - Tel +44 272 303132