Re: A couple of questions

[haahr@mv.us.adobe.com (Paul Haahr)]

> * From time to time people speak about plan9.  Anyone care to tell me
>   what it is?  And where I can read about it?  Of course, on-line
>   sources are always the most preferred.  And yes, my ignorance is
>   without bottom...

the latest operating system from bell labs.  if you're at a university,
there is some way to get a copy of it, but it's not anonymously ftp'able.
if you want to read about it, the documenantion is available by ftp in

	research.att.com:/dist/plan9^(doc man)

> * What do people use the redirections <> <>> >< and >>< for?  I
>   understand that they have been the subject of extended discussion on
>   the list before I arrived, and I *don't* want to reopen the debate.
>   But I am curious...

nothing.  they're there for completeness.  feel free to ignore them.
posix.2 apparently has <> (and maybe <>>), so it was added, and the
others got put there because we had this mechanism in place that
supported them easily.

(i have to admit that i have used <>[1] for ``overwrite but don't
truncate this file'' occasionally.)

paul