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From: shore@panix.com (Melinda Shore)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: On the Naming of UNIX Things
Date: 14 Nov 1996 16:30:31 -0500
Organization: No Mountain Software
Lines: 19
Message-ID: <56g31n$9av@panix2.panix.com>
References: <55vhpf$q3o@mail1.wg.waii.com> <E0tAts.BAr.0.queen@torfree.net> <56g0mm$gpf@web.nmti.com>
Reply-To: shore@nomt.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: panix2.panix.com
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.misc:26417 comp.unix.bsd.misc:1498 alt.folklore.computers:124594
In article <56g0mm$gpf@web.nmti.com>, Peter da Silva <peter@nmti.com> wrote:
>In article <E0tAts.BAr.0.queen@torfree.net>,
>William J. Hayes <ab915@torfree.net> wrote:
>> grep:
>> "Generic Regular Expression Printer"
>No, no, you're wrong. It's from "Generic Repeated Pattern Evaluator", an old
>IBM mainframe program that searched for text in 80 column card decks and
>edited them into new decks.
Huh. The way *I've* heard it (so it must be true and I
don't actually have to look it up or anything) is that it
actually was derived from "regular global pattern
evaluator," but that at that trade show you mentioned Gates
was embarrassed to find "rgpe" nuxied into "grep" by a
filesystem bug in the 8086 port. The rest, as they say, is
history.
--
Melinda Shore - No Mountain Software - shore@nomt.com
If you send me harassing email, I'll probably post it