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From: barnett@vdsvax.steinmetz.UUCP (Bruce G Barnett)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: /dev/stdin:  why not call it "-"?
Message-ID: <1799@vdsvax.steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jun-87 09:03:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: vdsvax.1799
Posted: Wed Jun 17 09:03:58 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jun-87 09:51:08 EDT
References: <7359@brl-adm.ARPA> <5856@brl-smoke.ARPA> <15318@onfcanim.UUCP> <1098@hropus.UUCP> <7071@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: barnett@ge-crd.arpa  (Bruce G Barnett)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 11

In article <1098@hropus.UUCP> ka@hropus.UUCP writes:
>"-" is certainly easier to type than "/dev/stdin" and is already somewhat
>of a UN*X convention.

Somewhat. `-' also means /dev/stdout. see tar(1) 
Of course we could break tar and tons of scripts :-)
-- 
Bruce G. Barnett  (barnett@ge-crd.ARPA) (barnett@steinmetz.UUCP)
-- 
"The difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man is that one knows
the difference and the other does not."