8th September 1999
This is the manual page for libb.a, the B library, from the Unix Programmer's Manual, First Edition of 1971, retyped by hand from a PDF scan of an old xerox of a rare paper copy. Details can be found in Dennis Ritchie's fascinating Unix Programmer's Manual, November 3, 1971 page, just off his home page at http://www.cs.bell-labs.com/who/dmr/index.html.
(There's also a manual page for libf.a, the Fortran library; but that page doesn't list the library contents, so it's not very interesting.)
11/3/71 /ETC/LIBB.A (VII) NAME libb.a -- B library SYNOPSIS -- DESCRIPTION This library contains all B-callable subroutines of general utility. Its contents are detailed in the library section of the B manual. At present its contents are: char getchr putchr exit printf seek setuid stat time unlink wait lchar chdir chmod chown close creat execl execv fork fstat getuid intr link makdir open read write ctime FILES -- SEE ALSO b DIAGNOSTICS -- BUGS -- OWNER ken, dmr
It's fascinating to see what the earliest Unix library functions were, and what was omitted.