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=-1.1 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 19040 invoked from network); 17 Sep 2021 16:41:37 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 17 Sep 2021 16:41:37 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 856959CABD; Sat, 18 Sep 2021 02:41:34 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 33EB59CAB3; Sat, 18 Sep 2021 02:41:09 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=dartmouth.edu header.i=@dartmouth.edu header.b="Mk+MDzC2"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 5F52A9CAB3; Sat, 18 Sep 2021 02:41:05 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-wm1-f47.google.com (mail-wm1-f47.google.com [209.85.128.47]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 707219CAB2 for ; Sat, 18 Sep 2021 02:41:01 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-wm1-f47.google.com with SMTP id y132so7828547wmc.1 for ; Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:41:01 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=dartmouth.edu; s=google1; h=mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=W6I1ZEs+0M/DKy9T3dC3sCvzXFp2UX++IbU/dhCV06k=; b=Mk+MDzC2SMJ0KmyC3pyh9RZ5ArK5mQfzXD50iTBrd+a0m4199gdT1V7RyfscFjSfkM Qe5TjlGKXw7QWrdy9xl7H7UrY3OXZDWlRRbVAC6LBJZHSamLqDV7ECWOlCG6l0ihTaub dIs6Cwjo2JGAwlzrx4+7rQkQKT0F9Kbzj5oeZtnWRL0sUjZefKCLMCPx9WMioKRkPNVZ gZ9I5uqjvJ6wRCJUm8r/mK1ygP9XBsmMXfFBkCf77ZrYeOYmRng+P0MBfjz3x8UrDp/p ZnfgxhO9sH/ZzGmGpufMfJSkKSs2iBZxSXfED6M/RXDvdbn0HLjLqbpyzurEd/FBh3QX 28Og== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20210112; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to; bh=W6I1ZEs+0M/DKy9T3dC3sCvzXFp2UX++IbU/dhCV06k=; b=Oi/JIPBQ0hDerYaxKg/WxkH5nNkCAj1Z9hNdr+C3fxq4vnEwmJtpIVRHT+LOTF0I70 0hyUs/lDMQzgKQ4ZuPt1M7wcg+N2AtgrK9Sxf3YNvpd4Ybu26tuH8a61PfYH0VcMeJJf 4icFOKsTIWNAFHnCnqMcaLEkXz7kjqVmDfdskSoFhcAds9iHUXnpYwUt/xZyzxV0fnmz xWsYr1gA4eD+8MQzXmAMLhG1U40YfaS9FiFvjT34twSeeEvHJP3JU0XXvhFwdJxuMC3a 9d1CGFglOIJ2jhf4UtsqEVfcXbXLs6LksOIEYcCuw0ThIEJalZQj3rXplZKN6gABqCe/ jkzg== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM532+MFfJgEEBWhxB5O3DqCnyjkLlySvdYWQ9up5jfEx5cSHSprAn ZRgaRtr4PKKBTvQBwby6NEnsUcdsymHu11Cpf51VYM1kqOTliA== X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJzKCw2BkSfniVTNEAOQg3Y2QfZaRr2BBRXLJZQwwKz24K/X/sZXhL75gtgP/LPKXIEUuTb6rZF++ElMLFKwVJA= X-Received: by 2002:a7b:cb86:: with SMTP id m6mr11275206wmi.4.1631896859610; Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:40:59 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Douglas McIlroy Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:40:43 -0400 Message-ID: To: TUHS main list Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Subject: [TUHS] RegExp decision for meta characters: Circumflex 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" > Maybe there existed RE notations that were simply copied ... Ed was derived from Ken's earlier qed. Qed's descendant in Multics was described in a 1969 GE document: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/multics/swenson/6906.multics-condensed-guide.pdf. Unfortunately it describes regular expressions only sketchily by example. However, alternation, symbolized by | with grouping by parentheses, was supported in qed, whereas alternation was omitted from ed. The GE document does not mention character classes; an example shows how to use alternation for the same purpose. Beginning-of-line is specified by a logical-negation symbol. In apparent contradiction, the v1 manual says the meanings of [ and ^ are the same in ed and (an unspecified version of) qed. My guess about the discrepancies is no better than yours. (I am amused by the title "condensed guide" for a manual in which each qed request gets a full page of explanation. It exemplifies how Unix split from Multics in matters of taste.) Doug