Path: utzoo!yunexus!mike From: mike@yunexus.yorku.ca (Mike Marques) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: Re^2: Unix deficiencies/problems Message-ID: Date: 11 May 89 18:25:10 GMT Article-I.D.: yunexus.MIKE.89May11142510 References: <810038@hpsemc.HP.COM> <810049@hpsemc.HP.COM> <17410@mimsy.UUCP> Sender: news@yunexus.UUCP Organization: York Computing Services Lines: 43 In-reply-to: chris@mimsy.UUCP's message of 10 May 89 08:40:48 GMT In article <17410@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes: > Apparently he prefers the sort of behaviour exemplifed by the following > posting (taken directly from comp.os.vms/info-vax): > > [article <890424131552.2040069d@UWYO.BITNET>, from jimkirk@OUTLAW.UWYO.EDU] > >What pointed this out was my attempt to compile a Fortran program named MP, > >when the command "FORT MP" blew up because it could not find MP_8NN. I can > >work around with "FORT MP.FOR", but why is MP system-wide? > > This is why the shells (and the editors---both vi and Emacs [GNU > *and* Unipress] expand environment variables in file names) use a > bit of syntax to enable variable expansion. Apparently once someone > else has defined `speech' in VMS, you cannot get rid of it. > -- > In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163) > Domain: chris@mimsy.umd.edu Path: uunet!mimsy!chris > However that someone else has to be a system manager or someone with similar privileges (you might know this). Someone's logical names are put in their own private logical name table. There are also system wide logical name tables and group wide name tables, etc. This is something I miss on Unix (I do work on both OSs). Under VMS I can define TEXINPUTS, for instance, in the system wide logical name table and when somebody uses tex things will work. Under UNIX you can't transparently (I could be wrong) set things up for a user so that he can do this. And don't tell me you just have to tell the user about setenv or whatever, not all users want to know a lot of details about computers. Of course Unix was not designed for those users but that's a different discussion. I just happen to think the way logical names are handled under VMS to be more of a benefit than an impairment and would like to see some similar system under Unix. And defining SPEECH in the system wide table is a sign of unthinking system personnel, make it SYS_SPEECH if you must have it. Mike disclaimer: I never said that. -- Mike Marques | Usenet: ......!utzoo!yunexus!mike York University (Computing Services) | mike@nexus.yorku.ca -------------------------------------| Bitnet: mike@libra.yorku.ca Only visiting this planet... | Voice: (416) 736-5257