Are any parts of UNIX in public domain?
lkw at csun.UUCP
lkw at csun.UUCP
Thu May 1 11:01:08 AEST 1986
In <197 at gilbbs.UUCP> Pnews thinks mc68020 at gilbbs.UUCP (Tom Keller) wrote:
>> It is interesting to notice that the previously very small (and fast)
>> shell procedure /bin/true now has a size of 747 bytes and a doubled
>> execution time.
>
> This may be so, but I hardly think it can be attributed to the addition of
>copyright notices. All comments are ignored by the compiler, so there could
>be literally megabytes of comments related to copyright without affecting the
>size of the binary by even one byte. I would suggest that you look for other
>explanations (maybe AT&T implemented /bin/true in interpretive BASIC? :-) )
>
>tom keller
Well, no, but they DID write it as an interpretive shell script, as the
original article noted. Several megabytes of comments could possibly
have a detrimental impact on the runtime performance... :-)
(Sorry Tom, couldn't resist...)
Actually, /bin/true on our SVR2.2 (I think) system is exactly one line --
the SCCS comment statement. /bin/false isn't much longer: two SCCS
comment statements plus exit 255 (oh my, did I just release proprietary
information?).
Disclaimer: Can you prove it didn't happen? (Criswell, PLAN NINE FROM
OUTER SPACE)
--
Larry Wake uucp: {ihnp4 | hplabs | psivax}!csun!lkw
CSUN Computer Center BITNET: RETPLKW at CALSTATE
Northridge, CA 91330 ARPA: RETPLKW%CALSTATE at WISCVM.WISC.EDU
"It's like a big sneeze" -- Dr. Ruth Westheimer
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