[Info-vax] Suggestion: Adding a /SORT option to DIRECTORY and F$SEARCH ?

[John Reagan]

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 3:39:38 AM UTC-5, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 1/26/2022 9:51 PM, dthi... at gmail.com wrote: 
> > 
> >> It would be nice to be able to see the output from a DIRECTORY command 
> >> optionally sorted by one of largest size, smallest size, oldest date, 
> >> newest date, etc. 
> > 
> > This sounds like a good opportunity for some community-contributed software (like the old DECUS Library). :-)) 
> > IIRC, there have been modified directory-like program submissions in the past.
> Nah, today's users want the vendor to do all the work ...
> > Write a new program, DIRECTORY2 and a CLD file to do what you'd like the modified DIRECTORY to do, either using: 
> > 1) Existing DIRECTORY source code from VSI, in whatever language it's written in, and enhance it the way you want, OR 
> > 2) Create new program code in C, calling system routines to do the work.
> Why C, when there are better languages?

If you are about to use the B-word, better is relative.  And if there was such an important tool in BASIC, would have needed Macro, C, BLISS AND BASIC compilers (and their nightmare RTLs) in the development path.  I don't want another critical, proprietary tool in the system.