[comp.sys.amiga.introduction] Why is it * and not STD: ?

pilgrim@daimi.aau.dk (Jakob G}rdsted) (05/21/91)

The recent discussion of * and #?, made me remember something that
I did not understand, when I first heard of it: Why is "stdin/out"
called * and not some  threeletterthing with a colon at it's end???
   I think myself, it's because it would be inconsistent, but is
that why. Of course, I don't propose Commodore to forget * and use
something else, but why isn't * a XXX: thing?0
--
From the notorious
                      Jakob Gaardsted, Computer Science Department
Bed og arbejd !            University of Aarhus,  Jylland (!)
(Pray and work!)  AMIGA!  pilgrim@daimi.aau.dk | I'd rather play Moria.

mwm@pa.dec.com (Mike (My Watch Has Windows) Meyer) (05/21/91)

In article <1991May21.133734.25340@daimi.aau.dk> pilgrim@daimi.aau.dk (Jakob G}rdsted) writes:
      I think myself, it's because it would be inconsistent, but is
   that why. Of course, I don't propose Commodore to forget * and use
   something else, but why isn't * a XXX: thing?0

It's already been mentioned here, so I can say it:

Under 2.0, CONSOLE: (what's this fascination with three letters?) is
synonymous with *, and * is tagged as obsolete. My fingers ache just
thinking about it (hmm "assign *: console:"...).

I suspect that it was that way because that's the way it was.

	<mike
--
[Our regularly scheduled .signature preempted.]		Mike Meyer
The Amiga 1000: Let's build _the_ hackers machine.	mwm@pa.dec.com
The Amiga 500: Let's build one as cheaply as possible!	decwrl!mwm
The Amiga 2000: Let's build one inside an IBM PC!