RM5I%DFVLROP1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu (09/01/88)
Date: 01 September 1988, 12:48:45 MEZ
From: RM5I at DFVLROP1
To: info-min at udel
Subject: EARN and BITNET
I'm sitting at the EARN site and get the news and diffs from
INFO_MINIX. My machine here is a IBM mainframe with VM running.
Connected to this is a PC where i download all the stuff i get.
Some problems arised which i like to mention here:
1) Variable record length is changed into fixed record length,
this causes problems using FIX.
2) The and != operators in C get changed to square brackets
and square bracket with an equal sign.
3) Word counts in the diff files fail.
Maybe these problems are well known, but ran into them when upgrading
to 1.3 of MINIX.
I have the ability, using VAX machines, to get into SPAN, but don't
know if it is possible to reach some UNIX machines from SPAN.
Could someone drop a line on this if he knows what i can do......
Regards Roland (rm5i@dfvlrop1) BitnetTROTH%TAMCBA.bitnet@jade.berkeley.edu (Rick Troth) (09/05/88)
The problem in Europe (EARN) is largely because IBM has recommended
two different character sets, both called EBCDIC, in the US (BITNET) and
most of Europe. There is work being done to correct the problem. But I am
surprized to hear that you are having trouble from the fixed-vs-variable
record conventions: try uuencode/uudecode. (white space should be white
space, don't count on a number of 0x20s or 0x09s)
Historically, EBCDIC did not have things like square brackets and
the hat (circumflex) accent, and ASCII did not have things like a cent sign
or logical-not symbol. Now there are extensions to both EBCDIC and ASCII that
include these and other characters supporting about forty Latin oriented
languages. But the smooth transition to these new character sets is difficult
becuase of "National Replacement" sets, which have existed in both EBCDIC
and ASCII for years. Pound (number), cent, exclaim, brackets and others
all get messed-up among the different countries.
"Those who do not understand UNIX - Rick Troth
are condemned to re-invent it TAMCBA VM Operations
poorly" (stolen quote) Texas A&M College of Business