wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) (03/07/88)
I was watching an old episode of Batman, and was enjoying the
requisite fight scene. The Boy Wonder delivered a hefty blow
to a villain's henchman, and the necessary 'visual sound effect'
came up on the screen. But, lo! This was no *ordinary* Batman
sound effect, for filling my screen was the magic word
@AWK!!!@
Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands?
Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show?
Wes
--
wes@engr.uky.edu OR wes%ukecc.uucp@ukma OR ...cbosgd!ukma!ukecc!wes
Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Thrust! <*SPROING!*>
Actually, it's a buck-and-a-quarter quarterstaff, but I'm not telling him that! rkh@mtune.ATT.COM (964[jak]-Robert Halloran) (03/09/88)
In article <2111@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) writes: >I was watching an old episode of Batman, and was enjoying the >requisite fight scene. The Boy Wonder delivered a hefty blow >to a villain's henchman, and the necessary 'visual sound effect' >came up on the screen. But, lo! This was no *ordinary* Batman >sound effect, for filling my screen was the magic word > >@AWK!!!@ > >Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands? >Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show? From "The UNIX Programming Environment" by Kernighan & Pike: "'sed' was designed & implemented by Lee McMahon, using 'ed' as a base. 'awk' was designed by Al Aho, Peter Weinberger and Brian Kernighan, by a much less elegant process. Naming a language after its authors also shows a certain poverty of imagination." A, W, K for the authors' last initials, OK? Bob Halloran Distributed Programming Tools Group ========================================================================= UUCP: {ATT-ACC, rutgers}!mtune!rkh DDD: (201)957-6034 Internet: rkh@mtune.ATT.COM USPS: AT&T DSG, 200 Laurel Ave Rm 3G-314 Middletown NJ 07748 Disclaimer: If you believe I'm speaking for anyone but myself, you're sadly mistaken. Quote: "Good morning, the Russians still beating the pants off us in space?" -- Opus to Oliver, "Bloom County" =========================================================================
klee@daisy.UUCP (Ken Lee) (03/09/88)
In article <2111@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) writes: >@AWK!!!@ > >Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands? >Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show? The authors of AWK were Alfred Aho, Peter Weinberger, and Brian Kernighan. Like all good Bell Labs hackers, they were Batman fans and stole the expression from the show. The Batman people sued for copyright infringement, though, so our heros had to invent a logical reason for the name AWK. Thus, the disinformation you commonly hear about AWK being the initials of Aho, Weinberger, and Kernighan. Ken
dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) (03/10/88)
In article <1448@mtune.ATT.COM> rkh@mtune.UUCP (Robert Halloran) writes: >A, W, K for the authors' last initials, OK? Sure, and I suppose you'll tell us next that Kermit stands for Kilobaud-rate ERror-free Microcomputer Information Transfer. Hah. Actually, it all goes back to a little green frog named Awk. Guvf vf zber sha vs V yrnir bhg gur fzvyrl snpr. -- Rahul Dhesi UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi
kers@otter.hple.hp.com (Christopher Dollin) (03/10/88)
>@AWK!!!@ > >Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands? >Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show? Isn't it an abbreviation of "awkward"? I hear there's a command whose name is a contraction of "vile" ..................................................... Regards, Kers | "Why Lisp if you can talk Poperly?"
kimcm@ambush.UUCP (Kim Chr. Madsen) (03/10/88)
In article <2111@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) writes: >I was watching an old episode of Batman, and was enjoying the >requisite fight scene. The Boy Wonder delivered a hefty blow >to a villain's henchman, and the necessary 'visual sound effect' >came up on the screen. But, lo! This was no *ordinary* Batman >sound effect, for filling my screen was the magic word >@AWK!!!@ >Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands? >Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show? Well not really, the name is derived from the surnames of it's three fathers: Alfred V. Aho Peter J. Weinberger Brian W. Kernighan And while on the topic they have just sent out the book: The AWK Programming Language The book is organized in much the same manner as the "The C Programming Language" book, and is filled with good examples of the usage of AWK. I strongly recommend the book to everybody using AWK or is getting into database work. (As AWK beat the h*** out of any other report generator I've seen -- or as someone said the best 4GL he ever has seen). An AWK Addict Kim Chr. Madsen.
hafner@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu (03/11/88)
Sorry, the name "AWK" comes from the authors: Aho, Weinberger, and Kernighan. Say, does anyone *really* know where the name "biff" comes from? I've heard two derivations: 1) "Be InFormed iF" mail arrives 2) That it was named after the Author's dog, Biff.
daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown) (03/11/88)
In article <2111@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) writes: >@AWK!!!@ Once upon a time I received the following message: awk: squawk! THUD... On my current machine, strings doesn't find it in awk, so presumably it wasn't in all versions. In those it was, the message seemed to indicate an interrupted system call... -- David Collier-Brown. {mnetor yunexus utgpu}!geac!daveb Geac Computers International Inc., | Computer Science loses its 350 Steelcase Road,Markham, Ontario, | memory (if not its mind) CANADA, L3R 1B3 (416) 475-0525 x3279 | every 6 months.
jps@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Jeff P Szczerbinski) (03/12/88)
> >Say, does anyone *really* know where the name "biff" comes from? I've heard >two derivations: I wouldn't doubt it if BIFF comes from Batman too...:-) Aloha, Jeff Jeff Szczerbinski Univ. of Wisc. - Milwaukee -- Computer Services Division jps@csd4.milw.wisc.edu +1 414 229 5172 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Anarchy -- Its not the law, its just a good idea!"
bae@ati.tis.llnl.gov (Hwa Jin Bae) (03/12/88)
In article <1590003@otter.hple.hp.com> kers@otter.hple.hp.com (Christopher Dollin) writes: >>@AWK!!!@ >> >>Is *this* the true origin of one of my favorite UNIX commands? >>Could it have really come from a campy 60's action/adventure show? > >Isn't it an abbreviation of "awkward"? I hear there's a command whose name is >a contraction of "vile" ..................................................... Close...but, Aho Weinberger Kernigan (AWK) - composed of first letters of three authors' last names. Hwa Jin Bae Control Data Corp. bae@{ati,aftac}.tis.llnl.gov (Internet) 4234 Hacienda Drive {ames,ihnp4,lll-crg}!lll-tis!bae (UUCP) Pleasanton, CA 94566 hbae@plseca (smail)
steve@polyslo.UUCP (Steve DeJarnett) (03/12/88)
In article <46800003@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu> hafner@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > >2) That it was named after the Author's dog, Biff. I heard that it was the dog that hung around the lab where they were working on it. This discussion occured sometime last year, and I believe this was accepted by at least a majority as how it happened. Anyone else remember differently??? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Steve DeJarnett | ...!ihnp4!csun!polyslo!steve | | Computer Systems Lab | ...!{csustan,csun,sdsu}!polyslo!steve | | Cal Poly State Univ. | ...!ucbvax!voder!polyslo!steve | | San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #include <std_disclaimer.h>
still@usceast.UUCP (Bert Still) (03/13/88)
In article <1590003@otter.hple.hp.com> kers@otter.hple.hp.com (Christopher Dollin) writes: > >Isn't it an abbreviation of "awkward"? I hear there's a command whose name is >a contraction of "vile" ..................................................... Nope. It's named after its developers Aho, Weinberger, and Kernigan... And as far as the veiled references to "vi", let's avoid another round of editor- bashing, shall we? Bert still@cs.scarolina.edu
sarge@swindle.Berkeley.EDU (Steven Sargent) (03/23/88)
> > > >2) That it was named after the Author's dog, Biff. > > I heard that it was the dog that hung around the lab where they were > working on it. This discussion occured sometime last year, and I believe > this was accepted by at least a majority as how it happened. Anyone else > remember differently??? > > > | Steve DeJarnett | ...!ihnp4!csun!polyslo!steve Biff Studworth III was Heidi Stettner's dog. He used to ride the Evans Hall elevators, and would also come to database seminar. His picture was in the grad students' "rogues' gallery"; he was listed as a PhDog candidate. A very nice fellow, by academic standards (insert stoopid USEnet grimace). Steven Sargent. ---- ARPA Internet: sarge@scam.berkeley.edu TPCnet: {anywhere at all, really}!ucbvax!scam!sarge