Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!cbosgd!ihnp4!cuae2!ltuxa!ttrdc!levy From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) Newsgroups: net.decus,net.unix Subject: Re: Nifty feature in VMS alias mechanism Message-ID: <1122@ttrdc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 8-Aug-86 13:44:38 EDT Article-I.D.: ttrdc.1122 Posted: Fri Aug 8 13:44:38 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Aug-86 04:48:31 EDT References: <486@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU> <1000@ttrdc.UUCP> Organization: AT&T, Computer Systems Division, Skokie, IL Lines: 31 Xref: watmath net.decus:448 net.unix:8852 In article <1065@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>, mwm@eris.berkeley.edu writes: >You forgot what I considered the nicest feature of the VMS alias mechanism: > > $ r*edo:== > >will make any prefix of "redo" down to "r" valid as a redo. Similarly, > > $ ch*eck:== > >will make any prefix of "check" down to "ch" a valid as a check. Nice >feature, that. I just wish some Unix shell (ksh, preferably) had it. > That might be a good idea, but you can also get this effect by using ln to link the executable to entries by the shorter names, e.g. ln /bin/who /bin/wh ln /bin/crypt /bin/cryp; ln /bin/crypt /bin/cry; ln /bin/crypt /bin/cr; (Which prompts another aside on VMS; why oh why is there a SET FILE/ENTRY under VMS if DELETE-ing the extra entry blows away the file data itself, leaving any other entries for that file invalid? Why isn't a link count kept a la the UNIX (TM of AT&T) OS even if VMS doesn't have inodes?) -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!{akgua,homxb,ihnp4,ltuxa,mvuxa, go for it! allegra,ulysses,vax135}!ttrdc!levy