Yes and no. The use of ^Z for "end of file" in DOS is ambiguous. If it appears in a text file, that is what it means; but it is not necessary. Before DOS there was CP/M in which "file size" was the number of disk sectors required to store a file. CP/M did not know the number of bytes in the file, only the number of disk sectors. Therefore it had to know how much of the last sector was data and how much of it was junk. That was why it used the "end of file character" ^Z to divide that last sector into data and junk. When DOS was introduced as a hybrid between CP/M and Unix, it had to recognize the CP/M end of file traditions, although since it now could store the true number of bytes in a file, it had no real need for a special end of file character. Many DOS editors allow the user to configure the software to add a ^Z or not, according to user preferences. It is best not to, but often the default is to add one. It does no harm in DOS and permits one to retrograde to CP/M, but of course it raises hell when you move forward to Unix/Linux environments. Chuck On Sat, 16 Feb 2002, Kirk Wood wrote: > Actually, if memory recalls correctly in the DOS world, control-z is the > designated end of file character. I don't think a text file is ever > created in dos without it. > > ======= > Kirk Wood > Cpt.Kirk at 1tree.net > > Nowlan's Theory: > He who hesitates is not only lost, but several miles from > the next freeway exit. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > Visit me now at http://www.valstar.net/~hallenbeck The Moon is Waxing Crescent (15% of Full)
