t...@vse2pdf.com (Tony Thigpen) writes: > It's actually much worse. There are three: > > Ebcdic: > CR = x0D > NL = x15 > LF = x25 > > Originally, CR only moved the print back to the first position of the > same line. LF only moved the print down one line without moving > sideways. NL moved both down and to the first position of the line. > > When it was designed, they were using teletype machines and simple > printers. No CRTs. > > Historically: > > 1930's had the Teletype standard: International Telegraph Alphabet > No. 2 (ITA2); which had both a CR and a LF and required both at the > end of a line. > > 1950's IBM introduces BCD and adds NL > 1960's IBM introduces EBCDIC and continued using the 3 values. > > 1960's ATT pushes for a replacement of ITA2 which the ATA published as > ASCII in 1963. (One of their requirements was 7 bit so EBCDIC was > ruled out.) > > In the ASCII world, CR and LF were the standard until the mid-1960's > when the Multics developers decided that using two characters was > stupid and they started using just LF. Unix and follow-on OSs carried > on the same tradition. > > Today, it's a mess. Windows wants CRLF. Internet RFCs normally use > CRLF. Mac and Linux use just LF. > > Interesting, Windows Notepad requires CRLF, but Windows Wordpad will > read and display a LF only file correctly and even change the file to > CRLF when saved.
IBM did much of the standardization for ASCII and 360 originally was suppose to be an ASCII machine ... unfortunately the 360 ASCII unit record gear wasn't ready ... and the decision was made to go (temporarily) with the "old" BCD unit record gear (but there was some unfortunate side-effects of that decision). EBCDIC and the P-Bit, The Biggest Computer Goof Ever http://www.bobbemer.com/P-BIT.HTM The culprit was T. Vincent Learson. The only thing for his defense is that he had no idea of what he had done. It was when he was an IBM Vice President, prior to tenure as Chairman of the Board, those lofty positions where you believe that, if you order it done, it actually will be done. I've mentioned this fiasco elsewhere. ... snip ... by the father of ASCII http://www.bobbemer.com/FATHEROF.HTM his history index http://www.bobbemer.com/HISTORY.HTM -- virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
