Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!mcnc!rti!bcw
From: bcw@rti.UUCP (Bruce Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: logging out
Message-ID: <2016@rti.UUCP>
Date: 6 Feb 88 01:45:39 GMT
References: <287@cavell.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC
Lines: 25
Summary: Some guesses

In article <287@cavell.UUCP>, franco@alberta.UUCP (Franco Carlacci) writes:
> The following observation has always intrigued me . When I log
> off using "logout", there is a noticeable delay before the system
> says good-bye. However if I use any sequenced prefixed with the
> letters "logo" the good-bye is immediate. Can someone tell me 
> why this happens and why "logo" is so special.
> 
I'm not sure what causes the delay you describe - it is not there in
standard VMS.  My guess is that there has been some fiddling with the
"logout" definition in either the DCL tables or (more likely) that a
symbol has been defined which redefines "lo*gout" to execute a command
file (say to clean things up before actually logging you out).  Do a
"show symbol logout" - that should tell you if the logout command has
been hidden with a symbol.  The reason the logout is immediate if you
type "logox" (or something similar) is that DCL only looks at the first
four characters to determine the command - but if it's a symbol it will
look at *all* the characters.  (obviously it has to determine if it's
a command _after_ it has determined it's not a symbol so there is not
an ambiguity).  So "logo" will be found as a valid symbol and execute
the command file, but "logox" will not be a valid symbol but will have
the first four characters = "logo" and be interpreted as a DCL command.

This probably makes it all as clear as mud ....

						Bruce C. Wright