[ActivePython 2.5.1.1] Why does Python not return first line?

Scott David Daniels Scott.Daniels at Acm.Org
Mon Mar 16 14:39:47 EDT 2009


Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:
> 	Teletypes, OTOH, really did use one character to advance the platen
> by a line, and a second to move the print-head to the left. (and may
> have needed "rub-out" characters to act as timing delays while the
> print-head moved)
I remember writing a printer driver for a terminal which kept the print
head horizontal position "soft".  The trick to printing fast was to
start a line feed, and use horizontal positioning (returns, backspace,
space, tab) as part of the time delay required before printing the first
actual printing character.  Once you had to print a printing character,
we used ASCII NULs (though I have seen rub-out used as well) to finish
the time delay needed.  Since we needed eight (or was it twelve) chars
of delay, this driver substantially improved the print speed for our
listings.

--Scott David Daniels
Scott.Daniels at Acm.Org



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