From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id e92d75b4 for ; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:13:56 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id AB6C2A1BA3; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 16:13:55 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4F92AA1AFF; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 16:13:44 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 757ECA1AFF; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 16:13:43 +1000 (AEST) Received: from junk.nocrew.org (junk.nocrew.org [51.15.56.219]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 1E29BA1AFC for ; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 16:13:43 +1000 (AEST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=junk.nocrew.org) by junk.nocrew.org with esmtp (Exim 4.86_2) (envelope-from ) id 1gOcoX-0005lP-4P; Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:13:41 +0000 From: Lars Brinkhoff To: Jon Steinhart Organization: nocrew References: <201811160003.wAG03mlF139232@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> <20181116045016.GK3341@mcvoy.com> <7a632484-cdc7-7c59-7077-7a2c752045da@spamtrap.tnetconsulting.net> <4c36b2b2-76df-435f-27bc-e1feb0647f36@case.edu> <201811162113.wAGLDGiQ031455@darkstar.fourwinds.com> <201811190311.wAJ3BDHR028154@darkstar.fourwinds.com> Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:13:41 +0000 In-Reply-To: <201811190311.wAJ3BDHR028154@darkstar.fourwinds.com> (Jon Steinhart's message of "Sun, 18 Nov 2018 19:11:13 -0800") Message-ID: <7wy39p388a.fsf@junk.nocrew.org> User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/25.2 (gnu/linux) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Subject: Re: [TUHS] man-page style X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Jon Steinhart wrote: > Chet Ramey wrote: >> Improvement is in the eye of the beholder. RMS and other folks consider >> info, with its hyperlinks, indexes, and tree-based navigation the superior >> alternative. Not just different, but better. > So were it me, I would have looked at the current culture in the UNIX > environment and figured out how it gracefully extend it for new > functionality. Yes, that's would have been very reasonable. But I have the impression that GNU from the outset was supposed to go beyond Unix. My vague memory is that the phrase "GNU's not Unix" kind of implied "we're making a copy of Unix... but we'll change it any way we see fit". The announcement figured things like a Lisp-based windowing system and Chaosnet. Remember that Stallman came from a dozen years of working with ITS and Lisp machines. It seems likely he wanted to pick the best parts and transplant them on top of Unix, making GNU. To some degree, he succeeded: Emacs is EMACS, unexec is PDUMP, Emacs Lisp is Maclisp, Info is INFO, GCC internals kind of wants to be Lisp. Not arguing for or against here, just trying to provide some historical background as I see it.