A control argument specifies some variation in the way a "command"
normally performs its function.  For example, when the -directory control
argument is given to the list command:

list -directory

instead of listing "segments" as it usually does, the command lists
"directories." The hyphen before the word directory indicates that it is a
control argument.  All control arguments are preceded by a hyphen.
Ordinarily, control arguments do not have to be typed in any specific order.

     Control arguments themselves sometimes take "arguments."  For example, the
enter_output_request command, which causes a specified segment to be printed
on paper, accepts several control arguments that require arguments of their
own.  When you want more than one copy of a printout, you type:

enter_output_request my_segment -copy 3

The argument to the -copy control argument is necessary to tell the command
how many copies to print.  Without that argument, the command will print only
one copy.  Arguments to a control argument are separated from it by one or
more blank spaces.

     


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Historical Background

This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated
to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 
as a contribution to computer science knowledge.  
This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL
and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. 
Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970),
renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership
of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture 
for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems 
incorporated Multics principles.
Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., 
as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. .

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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without
fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies
and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting
documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission.
    Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS
    All Rights Reserved