AT&T Joining OSF

[Dr. Scump]

In article <1991 at stpstn.UUCP>, aad at 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"