[comp.lang.c] NewLine, LineFeed

RMRichardson.PA@Xerox.COM (08/22/87)

> There is no "new line" character in ASCII. UNIX uses "line feed" as the new
> line character. OS/9 uses "carriage return". I'd say the 'C' language itself
> is suffering from parochialism here.

Wellllll, ... maybe, maybe not.  From "USA Standard Code for 
Informations Interchange," United States of America Standards 
Institute (Approved October 10, 1968)  (USAS X3.4-1968), pg 8:
--------
5. Definitions

[ ... ]

5.1 Control Characters

[ ... ]

  LF (Line Feed): A format effector which controls 
the movement of the printing position to the next print- 
ing line. (Applicable also to display devices.)  Where ap- 
propriate, this character may have the meaning "New 
Line" (NL), a format effector which controls the move- 
ment of the printing point to the first printing position 
on the next print line.  Use of this convention requires 
agreement between sender and recipient of data. 
--------

So the idea of New Line has been around for some time now and NL == 
LF is a standard convention.  Would anyone like to quote from a later
version of the standard?  (Is there one?)  

From reading K&R, I get the implication: if you use C, you agree to 
this convention (at least within the C code).  

If the operating system does not agree to the convention, then, as 
Guy points out, the I/O routines must do the translations, e.g. PC/MS
DOS which uses <CR><LF> for a new line.


Rich

henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (08/24/87)

> ... Would anyone like to quote from a later
> version of the standard?  (Is there one?)  

X3.4-1977 is the current ASCII standard, I believe.  The differences from
the 1968 one are pretty minor, I am told; I've never seen the 1968 version.
For those who are interested, its full name is "X3.4-1977 American National
Standard Code For Information Interchange", available from American National
Standards Institute Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York NY 10018.  I don't have a
price list handy, but be warned that it will not be cheap.
-- 
Apollo was the doorway to the stars. |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
Next time, we should open it.        | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry

drw@cullvax.UUCP (Dale Worley) (08/26/87)

henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
> For those who are interested, its full name is "X3.4-1977 American National
> Standard Code For Information Interchange", available from American National
> Standards Institute Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York NY 10018.  I don't have a
> price list handy, but be warned that it will not be cheap.

I believe that all standards are, in fact, without copyright (you can
check in the front).  If this is true, you can just go to a library
and xerox(*) yourself a copy.

Dale

(*) Deliberately trying to break Xerox's trademark.  But since I'm not
using it to sell a product, it's legal!
-- 
Dale Worley    Cullinet Software      ARPA: cullvax!drw@eddie.mit.edu
UUCP: ...!seismo!harvard!mit-eddie!cullvax!drw
Apollo was the doorway to the stars - next time we should open it.
Disclaimer: Don't sue me, sue my company - they have more money.

barmar@think.COM (Barry Margolin) (08/27/87)

In article <1492@cullvax.UUCP> drw@cullvax.UUCP (Dale Worley) writes:
>I believe that all standards are, in fact, without copyright (you can
>check in the front).  If this is true, you can just go to a library
>and xerox(*) yourself a copy.

This is false.  I just pulled out my copy of X3.4-1977, and on page 2
it says:

	Copyright (c) 1977 by American National Standards Institute, Inc
	All rights reserved.

	No part of this document may be reproduced in any form, in an
	electronic retrieval system or otherwise, without the prior
	written permission of the publisher.

I also recall a discussion in X3J13 (Common Lisp) regarding allowing
Lisp system vendors to use the standard in their online documentation.
Our chairman says that it may be difficult to get ANSI to agree to
this.  ANSI is primarily a publishing house, so they have little
incentive to allow vendors to make it easy to circumvent them.

---
Barry Margolin
Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
seismo!think!barmar

kevin@kosman.UUCP (08/28/87)

In article <1492@cullvax.UUCP>, drw@cullvax.UUCP (Dale Worley) writes:
> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
> > For those who are interested, its full name is "X3.4-1977 American National
> > Standard Code For Information Interchange", available from American National
> > Standards Institute Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York NY 10018.  I don't have a
> > price list handy, but be warned that it will not be cheap.
> 
> I believe that all standards are, in fact, without copyright (you can
> check in the front).  If this is true, you can just go to a library
> and xerox(*) yourself a copy.

I quote from my copy of X3.4-1977 (just inside the front cover).
	Copyright (c) 1977 by American National Standards Institute, Inc.
	All rights reserved.

	No part of this publication may be reproduced.......

And this should not surprise anyone, if you think about it.  There's a
considerable expense involved in the administration of these documents,
even by a not-for-profit corporation like ANSI.  The volunteers who serve
on the committees aren't going to pay for it.  YOU pay for it by buying
copies of the standard that you're going to use.

So don't do it -- ante up when you want a copy.  Most of the ones I
have cost about $5.00 (US), and I think the biggies like COBOL went for
$30.00 or so.

henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (08/29/87)

> I believe that all standards are, in fact, without copyright (you can
> check in the front)...

Sorry, not true.  X3.4-1977 in particular is copyrighted.  Publications
of the US government often do not carry copyright, but ANSI is not a
government organization.
-- 
"There's a lot more to do in space   |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
than sending people to Mars." --Bova | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry