Re: [ProgSoc] /dev/null (fwd)

[wzdd@nospam.tig.com.au]

Daniel Cafe wrote:
> On Mon, 20 Jul 1998, Rob Lowe wrote:
> 
>> If anyone's interested in the origin of /dev/null:
>> > The phrase "dev/null" is a hangover from many years ago, which continues
>> > in use by tradition, and in memory of those who made Usenet what it is
>> > today by their hard work. The slash used to delimit the newsgroup is a
>> > hangover from the old "D-News" news software, which rather oddly delimited
>> > newsgroup components with a slash rather than a period, which is now the
>> > convention.
> 
> Hmm always thought it was like /dev/null on a unix system, like send
> flames to /dev/null (Ie the unix "black hole")

I thought the whole post was a joke - people take this seriously? - "Flames to
misc.test"?! So they get propogated all over the Usenet and the flamer and
flamee get auto-responded to death? I think not :)

-Nicholas

--
You are subscribed to the progsoc mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a
message containing "unsubscribe" to progsoc-request@nospam.progsoc.uts.edu.au.
If you are having trouble, ask owner-progsoc@nospam.progsoc.uts.edu.au for help.

This list is archived at <http://www.progsoc.uts.edu.au/lists/progsoc/>