On Thu, 29 May 1997, Brian D Chase wrote:

> On Fri, 30 May 1997, Johnny Billquist wrote:
> > On Thu, 29 May 1997, Brian D Chase wrote:
[...]
> > > Out of curiosity, what is $SUBJ?  It looks like something VMS-ish to me as
> 
> > A (probably correct) guess is that SUBJ is short for subject, by the
> > way... :-)
> 
> Actually my brain did immediately attempt to parse $SUBJ to a Unix shell
> variable, but that made absolutely no sense to me in the context which was
> presented above.  Setting or "doing" a Unix shell variable is too trivial
> to ask a question about how to do it, especially given my interpretation
> that this poor fellow hasn't gotten his MicroVAX II to do what he wants it
> to do.  And that it's all because of what still remains the mystery $SUBJ
> label.

Well, the subject really did say what he wanted to know, and SUBJ seems
like a good approximation of "subject". :-)

So, to make it obvious. The guy wanted to know how to netboot his MVII.

> Failing to arrive at any meaningful conclusions in applying Unix
> knowledge, my brain then focused on what it perceived to be some type of
> inherent obscurity and difficulty.  Of course VMS came to mind. :-)

Naturally... :-)

> Perhaps I'm missing out on something obivious here, but I've never
> actually come across any commonly used shell variable with the name $SUBJ.

Eh. Who said it has to be a common *real* variable. :-)
Extrapolate!

	Johnny

Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                  ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt@update.uu.se           ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol