avr@mtgzz.att.com (a.v.reed) (10/14/88)
In article <2965@ci.sei.cmu.edu>, pdb@sei.cmu.edu (Patrick Barron) writes: > Or, you could always use my favorite solution - just crank up emacs > (or whatever your favorite editor is, but not ed or ex/edit/vi, 'cause > they can't do this), and change it in the binary. BULLSHIT. I edit binary files with vi all the time. Just read them in with :r !od -c file and write them out, after editing, with :w !rod -c >file which is a piece of cake. So please don't tell me I can't do something just because YOU don't know how. Some of us use tools, you know. Adam Reed (avr@mtgzz.ATT.COM)
jgy@hropus.UUCP (John Young) (10/14/88)
Adam Reed writes> > >In article <2965@ci.sei.cmu.edu>, pdb@sei.cmu.edu (Patrick Barron) writes: >> Or, you could always use my favorite solution - just crank up emacs >> (or whatever your favorite editor is, but not ed or ex/edit/vi, 'cause >> they can't do this), and change it in the binary. > >BULLSHIT. I edit binary files with vi all the time. Just read them in with >:r !od -c file >and write them out, after editing, with >:w !rod -c >file >which is a piece of cake. So please don't tell me I can't do something just >because YOU don't know how. Some of us use tools, you know. > > Adam Reed (avr@mtgzz.ATT.COM) So pdb's statement is correct, vi cannot edit a binary file. All you do (most helpfully) is point out that one can convert binary to ascii (though not with vi) and back again (though not with vi). Watch your language. John Young
pdb@sei.cmu.edu (Patrick Barron) (10/14/88)
In article <4596@mtgzz.att.com> avr@mtgzz.att.com (a.v.reed) writes: >[...] Just read them in with >:r !od -c file >and write them out, after editing, with >:w !rod -c >file >which is a piece of cake. So please don't tell me I can't do something just >because YOU don't know how. Some of us use tools, you know. And please don't assume that we all have whatever tools you have. Where do I get this "rod" command (which I assume is "reverse octal dump")? It doesn't exist on 4.3BSD, Ultrix 2.2, or my Unix PC (under Unix 3.51) at home. --Pat.
ebh@argon.UUCP (Ed Horch) (10/15/88)
In article <4596@mtgzz.att.com> avr@mtgzz.att.com (a.v.reed) writes: >I edit binary files with vi all the time. Just read them in with >:r !od -c file >and write them out, after editing, with >:w !rod -c >file >which is a piece of cake. That's real neat. What if you don't *have* "rod"? That's sort of like telling someone trying to get a Hayes modem to work with an old uucp to use HDB. I try to have all the tools my users want on this system, but I don't have everything, and some things I can't get at all. I'm still looking for a uucp-able Kermit 4E, and wishing for the newer grading features in HDB, for example. >Some of us use tools, you know. As most of us would like to. So don't flame someone for not using something they may not have or even be able to get, ok? -Ed
mike@nexus.UU.NET (Mike Hickey) (10/18/88)
Has anyone considered snarfing bpatch from the archives? Should compile on most boxes (runs on our NCR Towers && generic 386s w/Xenix)...
pss@unh.UUCP (Paul S. Sawyer) (10/21/88)
In article <2966@ci.sei.cmu.edu>, pdb@sei.cmu.edu (Patrick Barron) writes: > In article <4596@mtgzz.att.com> avr@mtgzz.att.com (a.v.reed) writes: > >[...] Just read them in with > >:r !od -c file > >and write them out, after editing, with > >:w !rod -c >file > >which is a piece of cake. So please don't tell me I can't do something just > >because YOU don't know how. Some of us use tools, you know. > > And please don't assume that we all have whatever tools you have. Where > do I get this "rod" command (which I assume is "reverse octal dump")? It > doesn't exist on 4.3BSD, Ultrix 2.2, or my Unix PC (under Unix 3.51) at home. > > --Pat. Nor, on my AT&T Unix 2.1.2... Interesting that Mr. Reed speaks to us in such a helpful manner from the company that, since they first provided my Unix O.S., has taken away from me, via upgrades and policy changes, such USEFUL UNIX TOOLS as NROFF and DIRECT E-MAIL to themselves... And who hardwired /usr/mail in the first place... Yes, I could write ROD; an aquaintance was speaking to me recently (but before this topic came up) about just such an approach, even to using the od -c output to start with. But I guess I really should buy the OCTAL DUMP READER'S WORKBENCH... 8-) In the spirit of UNIX TOOLS and the NEWS, etc, Mr. Reed, couldn't your posting have been more like: "In VI, I use ':r! od -c file', edit the resulting octal representation, then 'w: !rod -c >file'. ROD is a useful utility from --- which reads OD output back to binary form...." Please don't cast stones - - you may break our remaining tools! -- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Paul S. Sawyer uunet!unh!unhtel!paul paul@unhtel.UUCP UNH Telecommunications Durham, NH 03824-3523 VOX: 603-862-3262 FAX: 603-862-2030