two unix questions -- propriety of vi -r

[Jay Batson]

In article <843 at uvacs.UUCP> rwl at uvacs.UUCP (Ray Lubinsky) writes:
>> 2) Why does 'vi -r file' not set the 'dirty bit' (or whatever it's called)
>>    so that an immediate exit with ZZ will save the file. I lost some 
>>    changes after a crash because I had to leave and in my haste just
>>    entered vi (ala above) and exited with ZZ. This did not save my file.
>>    I think it should have. Any thoughts?
>
>                                                         Just as I was diddling
>with a copy of one of the source files, the system crashed.  When we came back
>up, I got mail saying that the edit buffer had been saved, even though I had
>just written the file a few minutes before the crash.
>
>Rather than just overwrite what I had, I did a diff on my most recent version
>and the version saved by vi(1)...  Sure enough, *my* version was more up-to-
>date than the saved buffer.
>
>Why does ``vi -r'' do what it does?  Because you *need* to evaluate whether the
>saving of the edit buffer was successful or not.

This last sentence is the key.  I have callus-interruptus
(call-waiting) on my phone.  When I've dialed in to a system,
and the interruption happens, vi will sometimes save garbage
as I'l logged off - something like a file full of control
characters with none of the text I've written.  Has to do I
imagine with the clicks that callus-interruptus makes to the
system when it happens.  In that case, I certainly don't want
vi to save that crap to the detriment of my original text.  I
may have an sccs or rcs file around to get a decent version
from, but if I've made lots of changes since I got one last,
I'd be out of luck if vi did what was originally asked here.

One day I guess I'll figure out a good place to call-forward
calls to before I get on the modem, and maybe stop this
interruption problem.  Oh well, the hazards of being paranoid
about missing an important call....

--------

"Stop it!! Stop it now.  This is getting silly again, and this silliness
has _got_ to stop.  Go on to the next sketch.  Go on.  Turn this camera o    "

Jay Batson
       ihnp4!onecom!\
                     isis!jay
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