On Fri, 29 Oct 1999 17:50:22 -0400, James Clark <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>I believe HP fixed, or disallowed the use of ESC in messages because one
>could send a message to a system manager which would manipulate the cursor,
>place text on the line and then enter it. Thus causing the SM to execute a
>program of which he did not want or have knowledge of. Security issue.
>
>James
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
>Behalf Of Wirt Atmar
>Sent: Friday, October 29, 1999 3:49 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: BATCH JOBS DISPLAYING ON SCREEN.
>
>
>Jeff writes:
>
>> You could modify the message catalog, CATALOG.PUB.SYS. I believe
>>  the TELL messages are in set 7, and you could remove the "!"
>>  inserts. This is not really a good suggestion since your changes
>>  will be overwritten the next time you update.
>>
>>  You could use a file equation to the terminal's LDEV and write
>>  to it, but the terminal can not already be opened.
>>
>>  I am sure others have ideas here.
>>
>>  Jeff Vance, CSY
>>
>>  > I am trying for a method to display some job variables on the
>>  > screen when the job is streamed. I can use TELL command but I
>>  > dont want this string  " FROM J1218/" preceeding my displays
>>  > and messages
>
>Another way to do this is would be to put an [esc]G[esc]K (move cursor to
>left margin, clear remainder of line from that point) at the beginning of
>everyone of your TELL messages. In that manner, the "FROM J1218/" would
>appear and then instantly be erased from your screen before the remainder
of
>the text message is written on the line.
>
>Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to work. Although on-line help says that
>the
>message may be "consisting of any string of ASCII characters", the escape
>character is being translated into a simple space by some process along the
>line, before it gets to the terminal/console.
>
>The simplest way to fix the problem is of course to merely correct on-line
>help, but I would be prone to allow escape characters passage. The bell
>works, so someone had to make at least one exception to the apparent,
>unstated rule of "printable characters only" in the TELL message.
>
>Wirt Atmar

Best I remember (it was a very long time ago) escape sequences were removed
from the TELLOP command because of a hardware 'feature'.  If you had a
2647F terminal (one of the big ugly monsters) on the console, you could
send an escape sequence that would record the message string to the
internal tape drive and then replay the message.  Since the console was
usually logged on with a SM user, replaying the message would cause the
logged on user (in this case someone with SM) to transmit the command
string.  You could do almost anything from anywhere if the console terminal
had a tape in it.
 Robert Thorpe
 Aetna Information Management