[OT] Origins of a.out

[Nick Landsberg]

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

Can anyone cast some light, or point me
to a more appropriate newgroup?

Thanks

 

[Jack Klein]

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

Can anyone cast some light, or point me
to a more appropriate newgroup?

Thanks

It has nothing at all to do with the C language.

 

[m...]

I think you may try to discuss this in Linx (or UNIX like platform)
newsgroup. It's about the histroy of C compiler.

"Nick Landsberg" <[email protected]> ???
???...

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

Can anyone cast some light, or point me
to a more appropriate newgroup?

Thanks

--
Ñ
"It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so
ingenious" - A. Bloch


~ Let us linux ~

 

[Richard Heathfield]

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

Can anyone cast some light, or point me
to a more appropriate newgroup?

If comp.unix.programmer (which others have suggested) doesn't cut it, try
alt.folklore.computers - Dennis Ritchie hangs out in there, so you have a
great chance of getting the answer straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[Dan Pop]

It has nothing at all to do with the C language.

Why would expect anything else from a post with the [OT] tag?

Dan

 

[Dan Pop]

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

As usual in such cases, it's for historical reasons. The first compiler
produced assembly output (still current practice today, on some
platforms). The compiler driver then passed the assembly file to the
assembler, whose *default* output file name was a.out. In certain cases,
this file could be directly executed, without needing any further
processing by a linker.

Dan

 

[Dave Thompson]

I know it's off topic, but I always wondered
about the origins of "a.out" as the default
executable name from a simple compile.

http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/chist.html which also contains
other interesting things that are more or less ontopic.
- David.Thompson1 at worldnet.att.net