Re: sftp rename not good.

[Dan O'Reilly <dano%process.com@localhost>]

At 07:49 PM 5/13/2003, Damien Miller wrote:
> Dan O'Reilly wrote:
> >>Put a different way: if the semantics are irrelevant, then why are we
> >>even having this discussion?
>
> [...]
>
> > For example: in UNIX, it may be illegal to rename a file if one of the
> > same name exists.  In VMS, it may or may not be illegal, depending on
> > if file versions are specified for the complete file specification supplied
> > to the rename function.
>
> So if we followed you suggestion and had sftp's rename method simply use
> the OS-supplied function, we would have clients that behave differently
> depending on the server.

Why in the world would the CLIENT behave differently?  The client says
"rename this file".  The server does so, according to the rules of the
system that the server is running on.  Case closed.  The client doesn't
have to know *ANYTHING* about what the server is doing.  Perhaps the
USER might, but not the client itself.

> This would break, among other things, scripted/automated applications
> and would be a step back from where we are now (where we at least know
> the semantics of sftp's rename method).

How would it break them?  I've seen that said, but nobody's done anything
to show how it would break them.  Besides, if you're going to a VMS
system, don't you, as a user, kind of implicitly have to KNOW that if
you're getting into some esoteric scripted stuff?  You see what I'm saying,
I hope: your solution is "treat everything as UNIX, regardless of what
it REALLY is".  And I'll make the point that the only supported (offically)
sftp server in existence today is from my company anyway.  There's not a
whole heckuva lot of scripted stuff going to VMS, because it's brand new
for that system (and I mean that literally).  So, the idea of "it'll break
scripted applications" is somewhat specious, since for VMS, they simply
don't exist yet!

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+-------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| Dan O'Reilly                  |  "There are 10 types of people in this |
| Principal Engineer            |   world: those who understand binary   |
| Process Software              |   and those who don't."                |
| http://www.process.com        |                                        |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------------+