
To: unix-staff@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: *head files
From: Peter Collinson <pc@ukc.ac.uk>
Organization: Computing Lab, Univ. of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Phone: +44 227 764000 x7619
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 89 20:59:44 +0100
Message-ID: <7484.609105584@kite>
Sender: pc@ukc.ac.uk

In the beginning there was version 6 - which had no make command and
so the proghead file was invented. It was to contain two things

a)	how to make the program
b)	what options the program had.

The original file started with # (why is an exercise for the reader).

Even though (a) is not really relevant, I find (b) so useful that
proghead has appeared in the main module of every one of my programs
ever since. As a side effect every one of my programs has a list of
active options in the first screenful of text and - glad I am of it
too. Pity that other people do not follow suit - it's a lot faster to
look at comments than to decode arcane C.

I *suspect* but have no proof that the blessed James Darby invented the
module one.

The Richard Hellier invented funchead which was heartly hated by me.
Especially for a) it's extreme uglyness and b) the dreadful ^L.
Also, I think that its overkill *perhaps*.