From: Rudi Cilibrasi <cilibrar@...>
Date: 2007-10-04T07:31:53+09:00
Subject: Re: Non-blocking 'gets' ?

On 10/3/07, 7stud -- <dolgun@excite.com> wrote:
> Stephen Ware wrote:
> One thing I found puzzling is having to call STOUT.flush.  When I don't
> include that statement, then the print statement is skipped.  Yet, if I
> use puts instead of print, then the flush call isn't necessary.  Anyone
> know why?

I guess it's because in Unix most text I/O at the text console is
line-buffered by default.  See "cooked mode" e.g.
http://meshier.com/docs/oreilly/unix2/upt/ch41_02.htm

for more info.  Roughly, the kernel is expected to collect input into lines,
and to allow stuff like backspace to work simply, it has to buffer a whole line
up and wait for return before sending it on to the application.  So that is why
your print doesn't print: it is not sending the return to cause the flush.  But
sending one yourself fixes it.  The puts has the \n so the flush
happens automatically I guess.


-- 
"We can try to do it by breaking free of the mental prison of
separation and exclusion and see the world in its interconnectedness
and non-separability, allowing new alternatives to emerge." -- after
Vandana Shiva