[Tutor] RE: Why MS chose \

[Seabrook, Richard]

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Gauld [mailto:alan.gauld@freenet.co.uk]=20
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 2:54 PM
To: tutor@python.org
Subject: [Tutor] RE: Why MS chose \

Having digest problems so answering this indirectly...

My understanding of the reason for the choice of \ was=20
that / was already in use. MS DOS(and its precursor) were=20
originally cheap clones of CP/M and CP/M programs=20
conventionally used / for command line options.
(CP/M didn't have paths as we know them...)

[Seabrook, Richard] Seems to me I remember using double slashes // in
IBM OS360 JCL back in the 60s but I don't know if Gates & Co. go back
that far.  Before that it was pretty much * in IBSYS, $ in IBJOB and @
in UNIVAC systems if I recall correctly.
Dick S.