From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.6 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [50.116.15.146]) by inbox.vuxu.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A0EA422225 for ; Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:12:56 +0100 (CET) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C95C243F23; Sat, 18 Jan 2025 04:12:48 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-qt1-x832.google.com (mail-qt1-x832.google.com [IPv6:2607:f8b0:4864:20::832]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 08F5A43F22 for ; Sat, 18 Jan 2025 04:12:39 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-qt1-x832.google.com with SMTP id d75a77b69052e-467b086e0easo14070831cf.1 for ; Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:12:38 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=dartmouth.edu; s=google1; t=1737137558; x=1737742358; darn=tuhs.org; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:from:to:cc:subject :date:message-id:reply-to; bh=8/wICntW27CSfAEFZbhzoRc9rhymyMU0UZKi5cb/6P8=; b=eRAPamoLh/KEhj29tuwBFz354owttFqeQyKzuvMSy660Nk9irBNsvi9ZalHmLqLV4t JawfUtNUQJRrzDYUy1Ym3clAuGltq5adGT74mDt0Aw1SfNKkRYwZ/kN9uGPoAF83oAUl /5MmrW2xpzb1NHzFI2n+kitN/eDpaBN9zi0Qj2YPcXJvpEk3wMey9NGRV9h/pUaKMtIQ yMpM2KFnSb3pMFx4Ltlwy3iaYYUMqXXzauqBuYSylQTegx18kHNNKBGYo1eBiwzrO0nE pFTm1dahhGazxpdiuw5RoObOETK++TUXKqa3q4p/9IUAH3n4t/g9YKJ90RoXaQwKNWvH OVWg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1737137558; x=1737742358; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:x-gm-message-state :from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=8/wICntW27CSfAEFZbhzoRc9rhymyMU0UZKi5cb/6P8=; b=Mu4aPuiNZh28PIimIxQmFQ2nC3floqTxubWhO3OrOILzHWcuqyyyr7eAmFKohw2xZb yhFPQyQRij418jt69wMPE0rsWT+UJCuUY1F7bnSKuDIci+QcN20hxGbpiGR0Zu8JIhgv 3cxHzWmWxzM5gDhto/F2Ef7gRSjD/kT0klhWlNvGKn8Gq9/09TaltRS2QyAt3DFYItpp sCbbB0JkixiPaxPuoLMZEbdwsFzIGcXNvEfoZkoeubAwLOFJDTWm5NsCQMiPnRROG8MY WMerEzbII2ypucZ8jSWpCaiDjpCuiX/S3TeVUeFsDBQiV5B5izWepSWYaylgmuCVe1b8 lCwg== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0Yz/ZGUldKFK1UuFn8by4zn8/WH+nf5X+xsRPkESpoUwmXKb21Qh aByAivg7nh2Fz74Dgwd8deT9c9n+KXEh60unYN/cNlqJpAqeaAsdlFL8SnIRIEBjmtKomBAvT2I CCM4CunlKuFT/yorWe/LDzI/I83abOZye4G/QXUxS/DkNslA/pgg= X-Gm-Gg: ASbGnctn0CyKAIvMg0AIfa6eNBJhAga2N7ugztuP4N403gyAhE1nHGIfW8d/1Ittm6l CHf8NFdVxZ7GZKSCm696tBFje0fsYY8/6qxFAJ0gP X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IHKa0hNqTudRp2hEwZaVqb70Di7GNqqLyYx5Z339nG7seQ+zcXA2Z0uBsBpX9CBiOUS89YXysGslTuM1PUrXbM= X-Received: by 2002:ac8:5807:0:b0:46c:7737:c51c with SMTP id d75a77b69052e-46e12a55dd7mr62611601cf.20.1737137558062; Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:12:38 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Douglas McIlroy Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 13:12:23 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AbW1kvZ9UzN5KKh_p-Z7SzGA3dmbTftvM7o9vVvTaeS7r93RtPwyYsK8gyXdBNA Message-ID: To: TUHS main list Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000132104062beadbea" Message-ID-Hash: GY66ZTUYMXG6LGXVEBRYBRIIXYFWWTWQ X-Message-ID-Hash: GY66ZTUYMXG6LGXVEBRYBRIIXYFWWTWQ X-MailFrom: douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; header-match-tuhs.tuhs.org-0; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [TUHS] Re: Perkin-Elmer Sort/Merge II vs Unix sort(1) List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: --000000000000132104062beadbea Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > To me this list is a real-life demonstration of the differences between > the, prevalent at the time, thoughtless agglomeration of features into a > monolith approach against Unix's careful separation of concerns and > modularization via small tools. The same contrast appears in a more > contrived setting in J. Bentley's CACM Programming Pearl's column where > Doug McIlroy critiques a unique word counting literate program written > by Don Knuth [3]. (I slightly suspect that the initial program > specification was a trap set up for Knuth.) It wasn't a setup. Although Jon's introduction seems to imply that he had invited both Don and me to participate, I actually was moved to write the critique when I proofread the 2-author column, as I did for many of Jon's Programming Pearls. That led to the 3-author arrangement. Knuth and I are still friends; he even reprinted the critique. It is also memorably depicted at https://comic.browserling.com/tag/douglas-mcilroy. Doug --000000000000132104062beadbea Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> To me this list is a real-life demonstration of th= e differences between
>=C2=A0the, prevalent at the time, thoughtless = agglomeration of features into a
>=C2=A0monolith approach against Uni= x's careful separation of concerns and
>=C2=A0modularization via = small tools.=C2=A0 The same contrast appears in a more
>=C2=A0contriv= ed setting in J. Bentley's CACM Programming Pearl's column where>=C2=A0Doug McIlroy critiques a unique word counting literate program w= ritten
>=C2=A0by Don Knuth [3].=C2=A0 (I slightly suspect that the in= itial program
>=C2=A0specification was a trap set up for Knuth.)

It wasn't a setup. Although Jon's = introduction seems to imply that he had
invited both Don and me t= o participate, I actually was moved to write the
critique when I = proofread the 2-author column, as I did for many of Jon's
Programming Pearls. That led to the 3-author arrangement. Knuth and
<= div>I are still friends; he even reprinted the critique. It is also memorab= ly
<= /div>
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