Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!munnari!murdu!u3369429
From: u3369429@murdu.OZ (Michael Bednarek)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Why not abbreviate DCL symbols?
Message-ID: <1282@murdu.OZ>
Date: Tue, 4-Aug-87 20:59:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: murdu.1282
Posted: Tue Aug  4 20:59:05 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Aug-87 06:44:22 EDT
References: <1034@runx.ips.oz> <62500005@uiucuxe>
Followup-To: comp.os.vms
Distribution: world
Organization: I.A.E.S.R., Melbourne University
Lines: 31

In article <62500005@uiucuxe> heisterb@uiucuxe.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>Another good example of the problem with abbreviated symbols is
>	$ del*ete == "DELETE/LOG"
>Then try to delete the symbol delete!  This is a real-life example, too, I saw
>it happen, really!

This is a good opportunity to point to the 'undocumented feature' of DCL
which accepts commands with trailing superfluous characters:
        $ Deleteit/Symbol/Global delete
works perfectly in the situation described above.

There is a funny story to this around here:
The system-wide login procedure used to create LO*GOUT==@SYS_SYSTEM:LOGOUT
which attempted to get the user to purge files. The first prompt was usually
answered by hitting 'Y'.
All users in our department logged out with: $ LOGOUTY and were not prompted.
It took me about three months when I started here to understand what was
going on. I, of course, always logged out with $ EOJ .

Anyway, back to the scenario above. Of course, the command:
        $ del/Symbol/Global delete
works as well, only you get a message: %DCL-I-IGNQUAL, ..., but it still works.

Michael Bednarek		u3369429@{murdu.oz.au | ucsvc.dn.mu.oz.au}
Institute of Applied Economic   ...{UUNET.UU.NET | seismo.CSS.GOV}!munnari!
  and Social Research (IAESR)	   {murdu.oz | ucsvc.dn.mu.oz}!u3369429
Melbourne University		mb@munnari.oz.au
Parkville 3052, Phone : +61 3 344 5744
AUSTRALIA

"POST NO BILLS."