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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!wjh12!maynard!campbell
From: campbell@maynard.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d,comp.sources.wanted,comp.bugs.sys5
Subject: Re: "look" utility?
Message-ID: <837@maynard.BSW.COM>
Date: Sun, 22-Feb-87 17:41:06 EST
Article-I.D.: maynard.837
Posted: Sun Feb 22 17:41:06 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Feb-87 03:59:14 EST
References: <1916@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Reply-To: campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Organization: The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Lines: 27
Summary: look missing from S5
Xref: watmath comp.sources.d:326 comp.sources.wanted:607 comp.bugs.sys5:75

In article <1916@cbdkc1.UUCP> daleske@cbdkc1.UUCP ( John Daleske x4335 3S324W FRAN) writes:
>
>What package does "look" come in?  Is it public domain or part of some
>product?  How does it function?

"look" (like "dbm") comes with V7-derived UNIX systems, which includes
Berkeley UNIX and derivatives (i.e., Ultrix).  It's seems to be missing
from System V, so I presume it's yet another utility AT&T forgot to
include in System V.

An excerpt from the man page follows:

SYNOPSIS
    look [-df] string [ file ]

DESCRIPTION
    look consults a sorted file and prints all lines that begin with string.
    It uses binary search.

Note that look searches for a literal string, not a regular expression.
You could use grep, but for a sizable file look can be hundreds of times
faster.
-- 
Larry Campbell                                The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Internet: campbell@maynard.uucp             120 Fulton Street, Boston MA 02109
uucp: {alliant,wjh12}!maynard!campbell              +1 617 367 6846
ARPA: campbell%maynard.uucp@harvisr.harvard.edu      MCI: LCAMPBELL