> It exists because it became part of the POSIX standard way back when a pdp7 was an advanced computer…
The PDP-7 was long obsolete by the time the POSIX effort started. By then the most common Unix host was a VAX (32 bits), though it, or Unix-alikes, ran on a variety of 16 and 32 bit machines, hence a desire for standardization.
The PDP-7 was long obsolete by the time the POSIX effort started. By then the most common Unix host was a VAX (32 bits), though it, or Unix-alikes, ran on a variety of 16 and 32 bit machines, hence a desire for standardization.