01/24/84  Questions

Many multics programs ask questions of the user when they require some
information.  These questions are all handled by the same program, and
there are some system-wide conventions regarding them.


Command processor escape:
Any answer beginning with ".." is passed directly to the Multics
command processor (cu_$cp) with the leading dots stripped off, rather
than being returned to the caller of command_query_.  After the
command line has executed, command_query_ prompts again with "Answer:",
rather than asking the question again, since the question can be
long and it has already been printed once.

This escape feature allows the user considerably more flexibility in
answering the question; if the question is unexpected, and apparently
makes no sense, the user can issue a command or two to try and find
out what prompted it.


Examples:
! delete *.pl1

  delete: calliope.pl1 is protected.  Do you want to delete it?  ! ..list

  Segments = 3, length = 7

  re     2  calliope
  re     1  calliope.pl1
  re     4  calliope.list

  Answer:  ! ..print_wdir
  >udd>CIRCUS>Elephant>work
  Answer:  ! ..repeat_query

  delete:  calliope.pl1 is protected.  Do you wish to delete it?  ! no


The repeat_query command:
As seen in the example, the repeat_query command can also be used
during a question sequence, if it is necessary to see the question
again; if it has been scrolled off the top of a CRT terminal screen,
for instance.  Type "help repeat_query" for details.


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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