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Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!ucbvax!info-vax
From: info-vax@ucbvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Re: Need Help with VAX/VMS C
Message-ID: <8602220558.AA14727@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: Fri, 21-Feb-86 17:14:06 EST
Article-I.D.: seismo.8602220558.AA14727
Posted: Fri Feb 21 17:14:06 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Feb-86 12:54:32 EST
References: <8602200928.AA12076@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: yetti!eriks@seismo.CSS.GOV (Eriks Rugelis)
Organization: York University, York Computing Services
Lines: 50
Keywords: novice, aggressively illiterate
Approved: info-vax@sri-kl.arpa
Summary: This should NOT have made it past the moderator

In article <8602200928.AA12076@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> SPW2562@RITVAXC.BITNET writes:
>
>
>        I've been trying to write a C program on our VAX/VMS system here at
>                             . . . 
>        Being a Unix* hack, I have no idea what this means.  (And people
>   ...
>   lib$set_symbol("COL*OR", "WRITE SYS$OUTPUT \"\27[2J\27[H\"", tab);
>   ...
>        Please respond directly to either of the below two addresses,
>        as I do not subscribe to this mailing list.
>
>*UNIX is a trademark of Bell Labs.
>==============================================================================
>        Steve Wall @ Rochester Institute of Technology
>        Usenet: ..!rochester!ritcv!spw2562        (Fishhook)   Unix 4.2 BSD
>        BITNET: SPW2562@RITVAXC                   (Snoopy)     VAX/VMS 4.2

I have been following the various discussions and postings on mod.computers.vax
(and info-vax before it) for a couple of years now and have enjoyed the
relatively high technical content to be found here.  I find myself increasingly 
dismayed at the numbers of recent postings that could have been avoided by
anything more than a cursory glance at the available documentation.  The
included posting is to my mind a perfect case in point.  Heck, even the
HELP command will tell you in no uncertain terms that the strings that
are to be passed to LIB$SET_SYMBOL should be:

	'access: read only
	 mechanism: by descriptor'

in that light one could ask:

	Why was this posted?
	Why was this allowed past the moderator?

I believe that the moderator should perhaps take a more active role in
filtering out inappropriate postings of this sort.   How long would it
have taken this person to type:

	$ HELP Rtl LIB$ LIB$SET_SYMBOL

as opposed to posting the message that he generated and then caused the
rest of the world to pay for its distribution.   For all I know, he's still
waiting at his terminal with bated breath for a reply.

Perhaps the moderator already DOES filter out a lot of garbage like this, and
in that case I offer in advance profuse apologies for any aspersions that
I've cast on his/her/its character/intellect.  BUT...But...but...   you know.

There... that's a couple of screens full of vitriol.