[TUHS] /usr/mdec

[TUHS] /usr/mdec

[Norman Wilson]

I'm curious about the origin of the directory name /usr/mdec.
(I am reminded of it because I've noticed that it lives on in
at least one of the BSDs.)

I had a vague notion that it meant `DEC maintenance' but that
seems a bit clumsy to describe a place holding boot blocks.

A random web board suggests it meant `magnetic DECtape.'
That's certainly not true by the time I came along, when it
contained the master copy of the disk boot block(s).
But I suppose it could have meant that early on and
the name just carried forward.

A quick skim of the V1-V7 manuals doesn't explain the name.

Anyone have any clearer memories than I do?  Doug or Ken or
anyone who was there when it was coined, do you still recall?

Norman Wilson
Toronto ON

[TUHS] Re: /usr/mdec

[Dave Horsfall]

On Sun, 20 Nov 2022, Norman Wilson wrote:

> I'm curious about the origin of the directory name /usr/mdec. (I am 
> reminded of it because I've noticed that it lives on in at least one of 
> the BSDs.)
> 
> I had a vague notion that it meant `DEC maintenance' but that seems a 
> bit clumsy to describe a place holding boot blocks.

As far as I know, that's right; MAINDEC was certainly on all of their 
standalone diagnostic media (a beauty was DECEX, which thrashed the PDP-11 
and uncovered a bug in our RK-11 controller; it screwed up on overlapped 
seeks which RSX didn't use but Harvard(?) did, so DEC's view was that it 
was obviously a Unix problem).

-- Dave

[TUHS] Re: /usr/mdec

[Angelo Papenhoff]

I was also wondering! My theory was that it stands for Magtape & DECtape,
but not sure. Perhaps ken remembers?

aap

On 20/11/22, Norman Wilson wrote:
> I'm curious about the origin of the directory name /usr/mdec.
> (I am reminded of it because I've noticed that it lives on in
> at least one of the BSDs.)
> 
> I had a vague notion that it meant `DEC maintenance' but that
> seems a bit clumsy to describe a place holding boot blocks.
> 
> A random web board suggests it meant `magnetic DECtape.'
> That's certainly not true by the time I came along, when it
> contained the master copy of the disk boot block(s).
> But I suppose it could have meant that early on and
> the name just carried forward.
> 
> A quick skim of the V1-V7 manuals doesn't explain the name.
> 
> Anyone have any clearer memories than I do?  Doug or Ken or
> anyone who was there when it was coined, do you still recall?
> 
> Norman Wilson
> Toronto ON