Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,comp.os.cpm,alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 1998 17:22:59 +0200
Message-ID: <peterk.1lc6@combo.ganesha.com>
From: peterk AT combo DOT ganesha DOT com (Dr. Peter Kittel)
Subject: Re: EOF char.  (Was C++ and RHIDE)
Reply-To: peterk AT combo DOT ganesha DOT com
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In article <35a4c1be DOT 23702950 AT news DOT innet DOT be> lucvdv AT null DOT net (Luc Van der Veken) writes:
>
>What exact character would be used in the papertape days to
>signal the end of a tape? Decennia ago I used them, but I don't
>remember.

On our Philips Electrologica X1 with 5-channel paper tape, there was
*no* single character to mark a file (tape) end, but the end consisted
of a high number (at least 20) of all 5 rows punched. This is no
printable character, but the switch code from the cipher part of the
code to the letter part (on 5-channel tape, you have 26 chars being
ambiguous, letters in letter mode or digits or other mathematical
signs in cipher mode, else you wouldn't get enough codes).

Later on our ICL mainframe, a line consisting of 4 asterisks (****)
normally served as an end of file delimiter.

-- 
Best Regards, Dr. Peter Kittel       // E-Mail:
Private Site in Frankfurt, Germany \X/  peterk @ combo.ganesha.com