Xah Lee's Unixism

[John W. Kennedy]

Lew Pitcher wrote:

> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> [snip]
> 
>>>ObUnix: Max OS X has a "ditto" command that's the same as "cp" only
>>>different.
>>
>>
>>Wasn't "ditto" the name of one of those console-driven mainframe
>>utilities that would copy anything to anything?
> 
> 
> IBM 360/370/390... DOS (later DOS/VS, then DOS/VSE, then VSE/SP, then VSE/ESA)
> has a batch utility called DITTO, which copies files from device to device.

There was also an OS/360 version, but it was never as popular, since A) 
OS/360 console operators are usually busy enough and B) IEBGENER wasn't 
all that hard to use.

And, yes, there was a similar early program called DEBE.

> The closest analog in the pre-Unix and Unix world would be PIP

-- 
John W. Kennedy
"Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts.  Only the heir to the throne 
of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts"
  -- J. Michael Straczynski.  "Babylon 5", "Ceremonies of Light and Dark"