Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!infmx!aland
From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: AT&T Joining OSF
Summary: IBM doesn't do *everything* wrong...
Message-ID: <381@infmx.UUCP>
Date: 25 Aug 88 01:30:38 GMT
References: <347@spies.UUCP> <670025@hpclscu.HP.COM> <24355@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <1991@stpstn.UUCP>
Organization: Informix Software Inc., Menlo Park, CA.
Lines: 26

In article <1991@stpstn.UUCP>, aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri) writes:
> 
> This is all from the various computer history books I have, recalled
> from memory.  IBM has indeed come up with a lot of things -- the
> floppy, for example.  One of my gripes with them is that they refuse
> to abandon the brain-damage of yesteryear.  EBCDIC.  Operating systems
> that treat users like card readers.  EBCDIC.  Stupid networking.  EBCDIC.

And *what* is the big problem with EBCDIC, except that "it's not ASCII"?
At least EBCDIC had the foresight to use an 8-bit character set from
the beginning (IMHO, 8-bit ASCII is a kludge by comparison).  Some
people can't get used to having digits > letters and noncontiguous
codes for letters; I can't get used to having uppercase letters be 
*less* than lowercase.  I also prefer EBCDIC hex dumps to ASCII octal
dumps.  Does that make me brain-damaged? (let me rephrase that; do these
factors *alone* make me brain-damaged?  :-] :-] :-] )

The thing I *really* can't get used to: having every character I type
(in raw mode applications, anyway) cause an interrupt, instead of being
able to key in a screen worth before bothering the host system...

To each his own...
-- 
 Alan S. Denney  |  Informix Software, Inc.  |  {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland
 Disclaimer: These opinions are mine alone.  If I am caught or killed,
             the secretary will disavow any knowledge of my actions.
 Santos' 4th Law: "Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting *dirty* for"