Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 10:13:10 -0500
From: "Stephen.E.Blake" <Stephen DOT E DOT Blake AT email DOT moore DOT com>
Message-Id: <LOTUS NOTES */PRMD=MOORE/ADMD=MCI/C=US/@MHS>
Subject: Re: Writing a struct to disk
To: ao950 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA
Cc: Djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Precedence: bulk

ao950 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA wrote:
>"John M. Aldrich" (fighteer AT cs DOT com) writes

<snip>

> 
>> C may not require one, but characters 32-127 of the ASCII character set
>> are pretty well fixed on most systems.  I suppose that machines using
>> that IBM format, EDB-whatsit, could cause confusion, but anybody who
>> uses such systems should be aware of the discrepancy.
> 
>EBSDIC? Eb's Dick??? Anyone whose computer uses that instead of ASCII,
>should get a newer computer. :)

It's EBCDIC.  And if anyone has a computer that uses it, it's likely 
that computer is much MUCH more powerfull than anything anyone is using on
their desks with ASCII as the character base.  Although, the graphics
might not be as nice. ;)  EBCDIC may be wierd, but most of the computers
that utilize it (mainframes) are fast, powerfull, and FAT!

Incidentally, the mainframe I work on has a C compiler.  And I can
download/upload ANSI programs that would compile on either platform (with
on the fly ASCII to EBCDIC conversion, of course.)  So I don't think
that character set poses to big of a problem given the ease of conversion.
Any 3270 terminal emulator will perform the conversion as you download
or upload.  The wierd thing about using a mainframe environment with pure
OS/370 (not using IBM's POSIX extensions) and C is the file system and file
structure.  Very wierd, if anyone has done it they know what I mean.

Stephen Blake
stephen DOT e DOT blake AT email DOT moore DOT com