[comp.lang.perl] Changes to the FAQ since last month

tchrist@convex.COM (Tom Christiansen) (03/08/91)

1c1
< [Last changed: $Date: 91/02/02 15:39:48 $ by $Author: tchrist $]
---
> [Last changed: $Date: 91/03/07 20:44:34 $ by $Author: tchrist $]
49a50
>     28)  Why doesn't Perl interpret my octal data octally?
92c93
< 	uunet.uu.net    	192.48.96.2
---
> 	ftp.uu.net    		192.48.96.2
96a98,113
>     If you are in Europe, you might using the following site.  This
>     information thanks to "Henk P. Penning" <henkp@cs.ruu.nl>:
> 
>     FTP: Perl stuff is in the UNIX directory on archive.cs.ruu.nl (131.211.80.5)
> 
>     Email: Send a message to 'mail-server@cs.ruu.nl' containing:
> 	 begin
> 	 path your_email_address
> 	 send help
> 	 send UNIX/INDEX
> 	 end
>     The path-line may be omitted if your message contains a normal From:-line.
>     You will receive a help-file and an index of the directory that contains
>     the Perl stuff.
> 
> 
130a148,149
>     Another possiblity is to use UUNET, although they charge you
>     for it.  You have been duly warned.  Here's the advert:
131a151,188
> 	       Anonymous Access to UUNET's Source Archives
> 
> 			     1-900-GOT-SRCS
> 
> 	 UUNET now provides access to its extensive collection of UNIX
>     related sources to non- subscribers.  By  calling  1-900-468-7727
>     and  using the login "uucp" with no password, anyone may uucp any
>     of UUNET's on line source collection.  Callers will be charged 40
>     cents  per  minute.   The charges will appear on their next tele-
>     phone bill.
> 
> 	 The  file  uunet!~/help  contains  instructions.   The  file
>     uunet!~/ls-lR.Z  contains  a complete list of the files available
>     and is updated daily.  Files ending in Z need to be uncompressed
>     before being used.   The file uunet!~/compress.tar is a tar
>     archive containing the C sources for the uncompress program.
> 
> 	 This service provides a  cost  effective  way  of  obtaining
>     current  releases  of sources without having to maintain accounts
>     with UUNET or some other service.  All modems  connected  to  the
>     900  number  are  Telebit T2500 modems.  These modems support all
>     standard modem speeds including PEP, V.32 (9600), V.22bis (2400),
>     Bell  212a  (1200), and Bell 103 (300).  Using PEP or V.32, a 1.5
>     megabyte file such as the GNU C compiler would cost $10  in  con-
>     nect  charges.   The  entire  55  megabyte X Window system V11 R4
>     would cost only $370 in connect time.  These costs are less  than
>     the  official  tape  distribution fees and they are available now
>     via modem.
> 
> 		      UUNET Communications Services
> 		   3110 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 570
> 			 Falls Church, VA 22042
> 			 +1 703 876 5050 (voice)
> 			  +1 703 876 5059 (fax)
> 			    info@uunet.uu.net
> 
> 
> 
138,139c195,196
<     as a reference guide for Perl, it also contains a some tutorial material
<     and is a great source of examples and cookbook procedures, as well as wit
---
>     as a reference guide for Perl, it also contains tutorial material,
>     is a great source of examples and cookbook procedures, as well as wit
147c204
<     information@techbook.com.  Cost is ~25$US for the regular version, 35$US
---
>     info@techbook.com.  Cost is ~25$US for the regular version, 35$US
180,183c237,240
<     Not at the moment; however, if someone on the Internet should volunteer
<     the disk space, something might be able to be arranged, as archives have
<     been kept.  [It looks like something may be brewing in this area; watch
<     this space for announcements.]
---
>     Yes, although they're poorly organized.  You can get them from
>     the host betwixt.cs.caltech.edu (131.215.128.4) in the directory  
>     /pub/comp.lang.perl.  Perhaps by next month you'll be able to 
>     get them from uunet as well.  It contains these things:
184a242,244
>     comp.lang.perl.tar.Z  -- the 5M tarchive in MH/news format
>     archives/             -- the unpacked 5M tarchive
>     unviewed/             -- new comp.lang.perl messages since 4-Feb or 5-Feb.
185a246,262
>     These are currently stored in news- or MH-style format; there are
>     subdirectories named things like "arrays", "programs", "taint", and
>     "emacs".  Unfortunately, only the first ~1600 or so messages have been
>     so categorized, and we're now up to almost 5000.  Furthermore, even
>     this categorization was haphazardly done and contains errors.
> 
>     A more sophisticated query and retrieval mechanism is desirable.
>     Preferably one that allows you to retrieve article using a fast-access
>     indices, keyed on at least author, date, subject, thread (as in "trn")
>     and probably keywords.  Right now, the MH pick command works for this,
>     but it is very slow to select on 5000 articles.
> 
>     If you're serious about this, your best bet is probably to retrieve
>     the compressed tarchive and play with what you get.  Any suggestions
>     how to better sort this all out are extremely welcome.
> 
> 
454c531
<     you probably have a working undump.  If you don't, and you can't get one,
---
>     you may have a working undump.  If you don't, and you can't get one,
981a1059,1088
> 
> 
> 28) Why doesn't Perl interpret my octal data octally?
> 
>     Perl only understands octal and hex numbers as such when they occur
>     as constants in your program.  If they are read in from somewhere
>     and assigned, then no automatic conversion takes place.  You must
>     explicitly use oct() or hex() if you want this kind of thing to happen.
>     Actually, oct() knows to interpret both hex and octal numbers, while
>     hex only converts hexadecimal ones.  For example:
> 
> 	{
> 	    print "What mode would you like? ";
> 	    $mode = <STDIN>;
> 	    $mode = oct($mode);
> 	    unless ($mode) {
> 		print "You can't really want mode 0!\n";
> 		redo;
> 	    } 
> 	    chmod $mode, $file;
> 	} 
> 
>     Without the octal conversion, a requested mode of 755 would turn 
>     into 01363, yielding bizarre file permissions of --wxrw--wt.
> 
>     If you want something that handles decimal, octal and hex input, 
>     you could follow the suggestion in the man page and use:
> 
> 	$val = oct($val) if $val =~ /^0/;
> 
--
	I get so tired of utilities with arbitrary, undocumented,
	compiled-in limits.  Don't you?

Tom Christiansen		tchrist@convex.com	convex!tchrist