From owner-freebsd-questions Sun Mar 1 12:50:09 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id MAA01031 for freebsd-questions-outgoing; Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:50:09 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from alpha.xerox.com (firewall-user@alpha.Xerox.COM [13.1.64.93]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id MAA00940 for ; Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:49:58 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from leisner@sdsp.mc.xerox.com) Received: from gemini.sdsp.mc.xerox.com ([13.231.132.20]) by alpha.xerox.com with SMTP id <52420(5)>; Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:49:50 PST Received: from gnu.sdsp.mc.xerox.com (gnu [13.231.133.90]) by gemini.sdsp.mc.xerox.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id PAA12391; Sun, 1 Mar 1998 15:48:47 -0500 (EST) Received: from gnu (localhost) by gnu.sdsp.mc.xerox.com (4.1/client-1.3) id AA15657; Sun, 1 Mar 98 15:48:46 EST Message-Id: <9803012048.AA15657@gnu.sdsp.mc.xerox.com> To: Johann Visagie Cc: jake@int.checker.org (Jake), freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: what does grep stand for? In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 01 Mar 1998 11:33:00 PST." Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:48:46 PST From: "Marty Leisner" Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG In message , you write: >Jake wrote: >> >> My teacher says grep stands for Get Regular ExPression, >> I thought it was more complicated. > >Global regular expression and print, I always thought. In ed(1): > > g/re/p Get a new teacher. >From the jargon file: File: jargon.info, Node: grep, Next: grilf, Prev: Green's Theorem, Up: = G = :grep: /grep/ /vi./ [from the qed/ed editor idiom g/re/p, where re stands for a regular expression, to Globally search for the Regular Expression and Print the lines containing matches to it, via {{Unix}} `grep(1)'] To rapidly scan a file or set of files looking for a particular string or pattern (when browsing through a large set of files, one may speak of `grepping around'). By extension, to look for something by pattern. "Grep the bulletin board for the system backup schedule, would you?" See also {vgrep}. marty To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message