From:	Erik Max Francis <max AT alcyone DOT com>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: Output to the Printer
Date:	Thu, 13 Mar 1997 20:35:53 -0800
Organization:	Alcyone Systems
Lines:	24
Message-ID:	<3328D5A9.59B1D0E6@alcyone.com>
References:	<Pine DOT SUN DOT 3 DOT 91 DOT 970306132012 DOT 20341K-100000 AT is>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	newton.alcyone.com
Mime-Version:	1.0
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

Eli Zaretskii wrote:

> Nope, it's "COMx" and "LPTx" (no colons).  The short program that I
> posted in this thread also fails for "LPT1:", but works for "LPT1".
> 
> Generally, DOS disallows file names with a colon (except as part of
> d:pathname), so it's not surprising that the colon doesn't work in
> device names.

This is interesting, because originally with DOS, the intention was the
opposite.  A, B, C, D, etc. are all devices; so are CON, PRN, LPT1, COM1,
etc.  The idea is if you want to refer to these devices, you suffix them
with a colon.  In the case of devices which contain filesystems, you can
including further stuff to demonstrate where on the device to find them.

Is it the BIOS itself that rejects the colons, or what?

-- 
       Erik Max Francis, &tSftDotIotE / email:  max AT alcyone DOT com
                     Alcyone Systems /    web:  http://www.alcyone.com/max/
San Jose, California, United States /    icbm:  37 20 07 N  121 53 38 W
                                   \
              "I am become death, / destroyer of worlds."
                                 / J. Robert Oppenheimer (quoting legend)

- Raw text -