*BSD News Article 82962


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From: jgd@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (John G Dobnick)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: On the Naming of UNIX Things
Date: 15 Nov 1996 23:45:44 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
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Message-ID: <56ivb8$kbc@uwm.edu>
References: <1996111206190712643@[192.159.32.2]>
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From article <1996111206190712643@[192.159.32.2]>, by swb@mercury.campbell-mithun.com (Shawn Barnhart):
> characters.  But I like the idea that it was attributed to the amount of
> effort to type the commands into a printing terminal.

Perhaps the most important reason, or at least the driving force behind
short command names, was the TELETYPE itself!  You can type at a
_maximum_ rate of 10 characters per second.  Period.  You have no-key
rollover -- mechanical interlocks prevent depressing one key until
after the previous key has released.  (Anyone timed their "burst rate"
typing recently?  I know I can type, in bursts, much faster than 10 CPS.)

So, given a fixed, and slow, rate of typing being inposed on you, and
probably being the impatient type (we're talking programmers here,
after all :-) ), you do what you can to reduce keystrokes.  Reducing
command names to minimal length helps, especially for the "common" 
programmer commands.  

That's my theory, at least.   (Based on personal experience with
TELETYPE devices.)


--
John G Dobnick                          "Knowing how things work is the basis
Information & Media Technologies         for appreciation, and is thus a
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee      source of civilized delight."
jgd@csd.uwm.edu   ATTnet: (414) 229-5727                    -- William Safire