From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED, HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 13104 invoked from network); 18 Nov 2020 22:27:27 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 18 Nov 2020 22:27:27 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8596F9B9A9; Thu, 19 Nov 2020 08:27:23 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1811A9B92D; Thu, 19 Nov 2020 08:26:32 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (1024-bit key; unprotected) header.d=ccc.com header.i=@ccc.com header.b="YErS3gFJ"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id D6AB09B92D; Thu, 19 Nov 2020 08:26:27 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-qk1-f173.google.com (mail-qk1-f173.google.com [209.85.222.173]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id CF15A9B921 for ; Thu, 19 Nov 2020 08:26:26 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-qk1-f173.google.com with SMTP id v143so3573173qkb.2 for ; Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:26:26 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=ccc.com; s=google; h=mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=xUeb27NPANTm/RSg0DDpLzvECP+rU7S32nURCOovowY=; b=YErS3gFJPEW5fwNNkomIxdVwIhq5X4ov8hX/ENY/dMUVb/BgJkUi0Ove0bOgcAu5LC M02aa4zzUjS7r//xtDURmTSpnKRHN9VoqE5JPwoxHbTVf5g9mf6T7NiOkHgJYUHVP5w0 07b0jWn8MUT3WuGcDTPdsKqCa+OwYDOQgCklM= X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=xUeb27NPANTm/RSg0DDpLzvECP+rU7S32nURCOovowY=; b=CwoAZEsYtpQJAW/JzTdI8dZZYg+/82bzlnuKzBAkX2ko38W10rIh74k4QX38UI+9l6 f0PHcRS4ozkP5JarrCUVSmjP8+vfkiSChvyoj5LeixiNO9epY3DwkLzg+6YXuCfNNA/u lpQDUznNrHwB8wTACwdep3SvTQSxYbfIi9l42yQzO3bCD9qBLKW6ozrLLGTrNmd898k/ IlirKmi06Yd+yEUopygH/HJUXd84rbdOIhJF0lXdmpMWuUXmIu2gz/B0luvUlc/8DTWN 6dzFOmuAwh7Bwmc9vJ9IDHhhTOzD8QqFAtYpGWPpJgqSQq0n+CXRIiERBNhNbOoRJpRG YLMg== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM531UPbwW3Fz2LWen9JpsryYYoHs0D0FMdbm/UhWlnaxeA+qXMOk4 e3y31vfEdrxUb/be6VCnDq1ncjdEN+Rv9rpWo8xOCkE8BRYvfRowPKM= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJy+WUbDkaTUfxVloBtuFiRWomqnzbAsy6t4Dm0kh5vUVv2v4NfvuG+2SrylD11y2IMf24cgno3o0ajtddGHxxE= X-Received: by 2002:a37:b146:: with SMTP id a67mr5594948qkf.307.1605738385290; Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:26:25 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Clem Cole Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2020 17:25:59 -0500 Message-ID: To: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000000ec6fd05b4691afa" Subject: [TUHS] Where did the "~" come from X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --0000000000000ec6fd05b4691afa Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" A couple of my friends from UC Berkeley were musing on another email thread. The question from one of them came up: *"I'm teaching the undergrad OS course this semester ... Mention where ~ comes."* This comment begets a discussion among the 4 of us at where it showed up in the UNIX heritage and it if was taken from somewhere else. Using the tilde character as a short cut for $HOME was purely a userspace convention and not part of the nami() kernel routine when it came into being. We know that it was supported by Mike Lesk in UUCP and by Bill Joy in cshell. The former was first widely released as part of Seventh Edition but was working on V6 before that inside of BTL. Joy's cshell came out as part of 2BSD (which was V7 based), but he had released "ashell" before that and included it in the original BSD (*a.k.a.* 1BSD) which was for V6 [what I don't remember is if it supported the convention and I can not easily un- ar(1) the cont.a files in the 1BSD tar image in Warren's archives. In our exchange, someone observed suggested that Joy might have picked it up because the HOME key was part of the tilde key on the ADM3A, which were popular at UCB [*i.e.* the reason hjkl are the movement keys on vi is the were embossed on the top of those keys on the ADM3A]. It also was noted that the ASR-33 lacks a ~ key on its keyboard. But Lesk definitely needed something to represent a remote user's home directory because each system was different, so he was forced to use something. It was also noted that there was plenty of cross-pollination going on as students and researchers moved from site to site, so it could have been BTL to UCB, vice-versa, or some other path altogether. So two questions for this august body are: 1. Where did the ~ as $HOME convention come to UNIX? 2. Did UNIX create the idiom, or was there an earlier system such as CTSS, TENEX, ITS, MTS, TSS, or the like supported it? --0000000000000ec6fd05b4691afa Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
A couple of my friends=C2=A0from UC Berkeley were musin= g on another email thread.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 The question from one of them came = up: "I'm= teaching the undergrad OS course this semester=C2=A0 ...=C2=A0Mention where ~ comes."

This comme= nt begets a discussion among the 4 of us at where it showed up in the=C2=A0= UNIX heritage and it if was taken from somewhere else.

Using the tilde character as a short cut fo= r $HOME was purely a userspace convention and not part of the nami() kernel routine whe= n it came into being.=C2=A0 We know that it was supported by Mike Lesk in U= UCP and by Bill Joy in cshell.=C2=A0 The former was first widely released= =C2=A0as part of Seventh Edition but was working on V6 before that inside o= f BTL.=C2=A0 Joy's cshell came out as part of 2BSD (which was V7 based)= , but he had released "ashell" before that and included it in the= original BSD (a.k.a. 1BSD) which was for V6 [what I don't remember is if it supported the= =C2=A0convention and I can not easily=C2=A0un-ar(1) the=C2=A0cont.a=C2=A0files in the=C2=A01BSD tar image in Warren's ar= chives.

=
In o= ur exchange, someone observed suggested=C2=A0that Joy might have picked it = up because the HOME key was part of the tilde key on the ADM3A, which were = popular at UCB [i.e. the reason hjkl are the movement keys on vi is = the were embossed on the top of those keys on the ADM3A].=C2=A0 It also was= noted that the ASR-33 lacks a ~ key on its keyboard.=C2=A0 But Lesk defini= tely needed something to represent a remote user's home directory becau= se each system was different, so he was forced to use something.

It was also not= ed that there was plenty of cross-pollination=C2=A0going on as students and= researchers moved from site=C2=A0to site, so it could have been BTL to UCB= , vice-versa, or some other path altogether.

So two questions for this august bo= dy are:
  1. Where did the ~ as $HOME convention come to UNIX?
    2. Did UNIX create the= idiom, or was there an earlier system such as CTSS, TENEX, ITS, MTS, TSS, = or the like supported it?
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