Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 6 Jul 1999 21:11:40 -0500 (EST) | From | "Mark H. Wood" <> | Subject | Re: [RFC] File flags handling - proposal for API. |
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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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