improve references to source code that inspired the IOCCC

Updated `faq.md` and `README.md` to point at the BSD source for the
old Bourne shell.  Mentioned the GENIX operating system for the NS
SYS16 system.  Added a note that the links are only approximations
of the BSD code that inspired the IOCCC.
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Landon Curt Noll committed 2025-01-18 08:42:11 -08:00
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@@ -446,13 +446,21 @@ mealy-mouthed denials and obfuscations.</p>
</ul> </ul>
<p>The official IOCCC website is <a href="https://www.ioccc.org">www.ioccc.org</a>.</p> <p>The official IOCCC website is <a href="https://www.ioccc.org">www.ioccc.org</a>.</p>
<h2 id="how-it-was-started">How it was started:</h2> <h2 id="how-it-was-started">How it was started:</h2>
<p>The original inspiration of the International Obfuscated C Code Contest came <p><strong>It was a dark and stormy night…</strong></p>
from the Bourne Shell source and the <p>OK, let’s go back to 1984, not 1830: one day (1984 March 23 to be exact), Larry Bassel
and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor’s Genix porting
group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code.</p>
<p>Larry had been trying to fix a bug in
the old Bourne shell
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/tree/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/bin/sh">sh(1)</a>
(C code <code>#define</code>d to death to sort of look like Algol),
and I had been working on the
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c">finger(1)</a> command <a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c">finger(1)</a> command
along with its associated along with its associated
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd">fingerd(8)</a> daemon <a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd">fingerd(8)</a> daemon
from early 4BSD. from early 4BSD as used by the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system.</p>
If this is what could result from what some people claim is reasonable <p><strong>BTW</strong>: The above links to BSD code are only approximations of the BSD code that was being used in the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system. For example, the source code reference to <code>fingerd(8)</code> is well past the 1984 March 23 date.</p>
<p>If this is what could result from what some people claim is reasonable
programming practice, then to what depths might quality sink if people really programming practice, then to what depths might quality sink if people really
tried to write poor code?</p> tried to write poor code?</p>
<p>I, Landon Curt Noll, put that question to the USENET news groups <code>net.lang.c</code> <p>I, Landon Curt Noll, put that question to the USENET news groups <code>net.lang.c</code>
+15 -3
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@@ -27,12 +27,24 @@ The official IOCCC website is [www.ioccc.org](https://www.ioccc.org).
## How it was started: ## How it was started:
The original inspiration of the International Obfuscated C Code Contest came **It was a dark and stormy night...**
from the Bourne Shell source and the
OK, let's go back to 1984, not 1830: one day (1984 March 23 to be exact), Larry Bassel
and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor's Genix porting
group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code.
Larry had been trying to fix a bug in
the old Bourne shell
[sh&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/tree/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/bin/sh)
(C code `#define`d to death to sort of look like Algol),
and I had been working on the
[finger&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c) command [finger&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c) command
along with its associated along with its associated
[fingerd&lpar;8&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd) daemon [fingerd&lpar;8&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd) daemon
from early 4BSD. from early 4BSD as used by the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system.
**BTW**: The above links to BSD code are only approximations of the BSD code that was being used in the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system. For example, the source code reference to `fingerd(8)` is well past the 1984 March 23 date.
If this is what could result from what some people claim is reasonable If this is what could result from what some people claim is reasonable
programming practice, then to what depths might quality sink if people really programming practice, then to what depths might quality sink if people really
tried to write poor code? tried to write poor code?
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@@ -5257,12 +5257,16 @@ judging the IOCCC. A Unix man page for <code>cb</code>
<p>OK, let’s go back to 1984, not 1830: one day (1984 March 23 to be exact), Larry Bassel <p>OK, let’s go back to 1984, not 1830: one day (1984 March 23 to be exact), Larry Bassel
and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor’s Genix porting and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor’s Genix porting
group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code.</p> group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code.</p>
<p>Larry had been trying to fix a bug in the classic Bourne shell (C code <code>#define</code>d <p>Larry had been trying to fix a bug in
to death to sort of look like Algol) and I had been working on the the old Bourne shell
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/tree/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/bin/sh">sh(1)</a>
(C code <code>#define</code>d to death to sort of look like Algol),
and I had been working on the
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c">finger(1)</a> command <a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c">finger(1)</a> command
along with its associated along with its associated
<a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd">fingerd(8)</a> daemon <a href="https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd">fingerd(8)</a> daemon
from early 4BSD.</p> from early 4BSD as used by the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system.</p>
<p><strong>BTW</strong>: The above links to BSD code are only approximations of the BSD code that was being used in the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system. For example, the source code reference to <code>fingerd(8)</code> is well past the 1984 March 23 date.</p>
<p>We happened to both wander (at the same time) out to the hallway <p>We happened to both wander (at the same time) out to the hallway
in Building 7C to clear our heads.</p> in Building 7C to clear our heads.</p>
<p>We began to compare notes: ‘<em>You won’t believe the code I am trying to fix</em>’.</p> <p>We began to compare notes: ‘<em>You won’t believe the code I am trying to fix</em>’.</p>
+8 -3
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@@ -6552,12 +6552,17 @@ OK, let's go back to 1984, not 1830: one day (1984 March 23 to be exact), Larry
and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor's Genix porting and I (Landon Curt Noll) were working for National Semiconductor's Genix porting
group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code. group, and we were both in our offices trying to fix some very broken code.
Larry had been trying to fix a bug in the classic Bourne shell (C code `#define`d Larry had been trying to fix a bug in
to death to sort of look like Algol) and I had been working on the the old Bourne shell
[sh&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/tree/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/bin/sh)
(C code `#define`d to death to sort of look like Algol),
and I had been working on the
[finger&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c) command [finger&lpar;1&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.2BSD/blob/708b3890ac0c2f034f2840b5ee9125b3c83a05bc/ucb/finger.c) command
along with its associated along with its associated
[fingerd&lpar;8&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd) daemon [fingerd&lpar;8&rpar;](https://github.com/dank101/4.3BSD-Reno/tree/master/libexec/fingerd) daemon
from early 4BSD. from early 4BSD as used by the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system.
**BTW**: The above links to BSD code are only approximations of the BSD code that was being used in the GENIX operating system for the NS SYS16 system. For example, the source code reference to `fingerd(8)` is well past the 1984 March 23 date.
We happened to both wander (at the same time) out to the hallway We happened to both wander (at the same time) out to the hallway
in Building 7C to clear our heads. in Building 7C to clear our heads.
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@@ -15414,11 +15414,11 @@
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/faq.html</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/faq.html</loc>
<lastmod>2025-01-18T10:05:03+00:00</lastmod> <lastmod>2025-01-18T16:34:05+00:00</lastmod>
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/faq.md</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/faq.md</loc>
<lastmod>2025-01-18T10:05:03+00:00</lastmod> <lastmod>2025-01-18T16:33:38+00:00</lastmod>
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/inc/index.html</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/inc/index.html</loc>
@@ -15466,11 +15466,11 @@
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/README.html</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/README.html</loc>
<lastmod>2025-01-18T10:05:03+00:00</lastmod> <lastmod>2025-01-18T16:34:09+00:00</lastmod>
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/README.md</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/README.md</loc>
<lastmod>2025-01-18T10:05:03+00:00</lastmod> <lastmod>2025-01-18T16:33:04+00:00</lastmod>
</url> </url>
<url> <url>
<loc>https://www.ioccc.org/robots.txt</loc> <loc>https://www.ioccc.org/robots.txt</loc>