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From: dbj.rice%rand-relay@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: What does BSS stand for???
Message-ID: <13826@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Nov-83 22:27:33 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.13826
Posted: Sat Nov 19 22:27:33 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Nov-83 03:26:12 EST
Lines: 11

From:  Dave Johnson <dbj.rice@rand-relay>

I don't really know where Unix got the letters "bss" from, but COMPASS,
the assembler for the CDC 6600 (and 7600 and Cyber 70 and Cyber 170 etc.),
has a pseudo-op named "bss" which allocates some amount of uninitialized
storage.  CDC claims that it means "Block Starting Symbol".

                                        Dave Johnson
                                        Dept. of Math Science
                                        Rice University
                                        dbj.rice@CSNet-Relay