From: dbe AT wgn DOT net ($Bill Luebkert)
Subject: Re: Fseek Help?
26 Jun 1998 22:23:22 -0700
Message-ID: <35938F17.CEE80DE4.cygnus.gnu-win32@wgn.net>
References: <c=GB%a=TMAILUK%p=DCNET%l=EXCHANGE2-980625173704Z-3678 AT smtp DOT datcon DOT co DOT uk>
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To: Edward Avis <EPA AT datcon DOT co DOT uk>
Cc: "'gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com'" <gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com>

Edward Avis wrote:
> 
> [about the end-of-line CRLF vs LF problem]
> 
> >Using CR-LF for end-of-line pre-dates both DOS and UNIX.
> 
> It doesn't predate C, though.
> 
> Or were there other systems that used \n as end-of-line and needed
> conversion to \r\n?

CR-LF comes from way back in the teletype days prior to any major 
operating systems.  The carriage-return returned the carriage to 
the beginning of the line and the linefeed moved the paper up a line.

Most of us old-timers that used/maintained teletype equipment used 
2 Cr's and 1 LF at the end of a line to ensure the carriage was 
returned properly otherwise you got a big black letter at the end 
of a line when the CR failed.  Double spacing (2 LFs) also helped 
reduce line overwrite problems.

The only use I can see for a CR these days is to do line overwrite 
to a display screen.  And even that can be done other ways.  If 
M$ had any sense, they would drop the CR and save a few terabytes 
of space in the world for other things.  :)

-- 
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