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From: std-unix@ut-sally.UUCP (Moderator, John Quarterman)
Newsgroups: mod.std.unix
Subject: Re: limits ltd.
Message-ID: <3664@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 17:04:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.3664
Posted: Wed Nov 27 17:04:23 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Nov-85 19:41:20 EST
References: <3625@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: IEEE/P1003 Portable Operating System Environment Committee
Lines: 25
Approved: jsq@sally.UUCP

From seismo!gatech!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!desint!geoff Wed Nov 27 12:50:46 1985
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 85 21:31:36 pst

In article <3625@ut-sally.UUCP> allegra!jpl (John P. Linderman) writes:

>3)  If the user has specified environment variable H-Vi, use that
>    instead of any lookup value.

Have you every typed "show *" on VMS (or whatever the syntax is;  I'm
glad to say I've forgotten)?  You will get a list of literally
*hundreds* of environment variables, most of which are absolutely
necessary for the system to work properly.  The result is you can never
find anything.

It is *not* a good idea to cavalierly add variables to the environment.
In the first place, it increases the cost of forking *and* exec-ing,
in the second place every program has to provide for the variable, and
in the third place it makes the user's life more difficult.  I'm already
harassed enough by the size of my environment, thank you.
-- 

	Geoff Kuenning
	{hplabs,ihnp4}!trwrb!desint!geoff

Volume-Number: Volume 3, Number 43