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From: RMRichardson.PA@Xerox.COM
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: NewLine, LineFeed (was Re: Distinguished pointers (was Re:
Message-ID: <8944@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 21-Aug-87 22:11:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-adm.8944
Posted: Fri Aug 21 22:11:51 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Aug-87 11:05:43 EDT
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> There is no "new line" character in ASCII. UNIX uses "line feed" as the new
> line character. OS/9 uses "carriage return". I'd say the 'C' language itself
> is suffering from parochialism here.

Wellllll, ... maybe, maybe not.  From "USA Standard Code for 
Informations Interchange," United States of America Standards 
Institute (Approved October 10, 1968)  (USAS X3.4-1968), pg 8:
--------
5. Definitions

[ ... ]

5.1 Control Characters

[ ... ]

  LF (Line Feed): A format effector which controls 
the movement of the printing position to the next print- 
ing line. (Applicable also to display devices.)  Where ap- 
propriate, this character may have the meaning "New 
Line" (NL), a format effector which controls the move- 
ment of the printing point to the first printing position 
on the next print line.  Use of this convention requires 
agreement between sender and recipient of data. 
--------

So the idea of New Line has been around for some time now and NL == 
LF is a standard convention.  Would anyone like to quote from a later
version of the standard?  (Is there one?)  

From reading K&R, I get the implication: if you use C, you agree to 
this convention (at least within the C code).  

If the operating system does not agree to the convention, then, as 
Guy points out, the I/O routines must do the translations, e.g. PC/MS
DOS which uses <CR><LF> for a new line.


Rich