[Info-vax] Long uptime cut short by Hurricane Sandy

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <keenff$tel$1 at iltempo.update.uu.se>,
	Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes:
> On 2013-01-31 20:22, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> In article <keeb7i$e15$1 at dont-email.me>,
>> 	Stephen Hoffman <seaohveh at hoffmanlabs.invalid> writes:
>>> On 2013-01-31 17:38:45 +0000,   VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG said:
>>>
>>>> $ filename =
>>>> filenameprefix+"_"+F$fao("!19AS",F$cvtime(,"COMPARISON"))-"-"-"-"-"
>>>> "-":"-":"+".dmp"
>>>
>>> Yeah.  Or add the prefix and the underscore into the f$fao, as that
>>> avoids clobbering caracters in the prefix.
>>
>> And tell me how the above is not cryptic?  Just what is the difference
>> between the first dash and the second?  Or the third?  And would anyone
>> normal determine that?  :-)
> 
> Maybe it would be more obvious with some appropriately placed spaces...
> 
> $ filename = filenameprefix + "_" + 
> F$fao("!19AS",F$cvtime(,"COMPARISON")) - "-" - "-" - "-" - ":" - ":" + 
> ".dmp"

Nope.  Still looks as clear as mud.  Now, I am certain that experienced
VMS DCL Programmers understand that completely buit tell me which one,
the Unix example Hoff posted or this one is more likely to be deciphered
by someone who doesn't know either OS.  The Unix example has symbols
that can at least be intuitively determined (a Y probovly means Year and
an H Hour and their location removes the ambiguiyty ot the M and m.)

> 
> Ie, remove three dashes and two colons, and then add something at the 
> end. (Ignoring what's going on at the beginning.)

Yeah, all those dashes and double quotes lined up like that, that's
real intuitve.

> 
> As the for F$FAO and F$CVTIME functions, you obviously need to read the 
> documentation to know exactly what they produce.

And if people actually took the time to read Unix documentation they
would find out it's not at all cryptic.  There is a logic to all of
it (well, except maybe awk, the name, not the function.)

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>