Re: [RFC] File flags handling - proposal for API.

Mark H. Wood (mwood@iupui.edu)
Tue, 6 Jul 1999 21:11:40 -0500 (EST)


On Mon, 5 Jul 1999, Jamie Lokier wrote:

> David Woodhouse wrote:
> > ftp <sitename>
> > get <dirname>.tar.gz
> >
> > What's your problem?
>
> I'm using one of the new-fangled "Office" apps so it looks like one
> document from the editing point of view -- with lots of things embedded
> in it.
>
> Scenario #1
> -----------
>
> Finished touching up todays report.
> "Save As" blahblah.doc, a flat file because the office apps work this way.
>
> Open mailer. "Attach File", works ok. All is well, Linux is wonderful.
>
> But... "Save As" took 2 minutes after a 1 word change. To store my 57
> 12Mbyte photos.
>
> [or (b) "Quick Save" sparse files a la Word and a lot of wasted space.
> or (c) a better app-level filesystem in a file. Learn from database
> vendors.]
>
> Scenario #2
> -----------
>
> Finished touching up todays report.
> "Save As" blahblah.doc
>
> blahblah.doc is a directory because folks think a file is too slow for
> the hugeness and complexity of my report.
>
> Open mailer. "Attach File" blahblah.doc. "Attachment error: Is a
> directory". (Switching mailers isn't an option: too many critical
> features in use daily).
>
> Bum. Guess I have to learn how to use that stoopid shell!
>
> (Assume training in shell commands such as cd and ls).
>
> "man tar".
>
> Oh fuck.
>
> 1a. Email friend.
> 1b. Linux sucks! Boss is right, Word is easy.
> 1c. "tar cvf" is easy really. (Personally I always cvvpSfz but explain
> that to a newbie :-)

Scenario 3.

Finished touching up todays report.
"Save As" blahblah.doc

blahblah.doc is a random-access BLOB library managed in userspace by a
standard collection of subroutines. Lucky me: we chose an open-source
wordprocessor and helped port it to the BLOB-library package. "Save as"
takes 12ms because the text BLOB is minuscule.

Open mailer. "Attach File" blahblah.doc. Works.

Convert blahblah.doc -> blahblah.rtf. Return to mailer while converter
is running; read a couple of notes. "To: P.H.B. Worduser". "Attach File
blahblah.rtf". Works. rm blahblah.rtf .

cp blahblah.doc ~/backups . Works.

Go home and watch The Simpsons.

-- 
Mark H. Wood, Lead System Programmer   mwood@IUPUI.Edu
A Brazil-nut is neatly packaged and tightly integrated.  To turn it into
food, you must crack and remove the shell.  I find that I feel the same   
way about an increasing number of software products.  *sigh*

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