lprm bug empties files
utzoo!decvax!genrad!wjh12!clp
utzoo!decvax!genrad!wjh12!clp
Wed Apr 20 16:20:36 AEST 1983
I'm afraid that it is worse than that....
I've always wondered why both the Bell and the Berkeley lpr systems were
so bad. For example:
(a) The lprm bug causes any file that was linked (for protection of files
you don't want copied) by lpr to be zeroed; that's right, the ORIGINAL
FILE WILL BE ZEROED. The only solution is to have lpr always copy the
files to be printed so that lprm will "work". But, it's even worse:
(b) Lprm is too stupid to realize that if more than one file was printed,
you may want to remove only one of those files. When you give a file-
name to be removed, it will zero the whole dfAXXXXX file as well! Too
bad you didn't mean to remove them all... it doesn't even remove all
the C files after it has done this, it only removes the first! Not
only is it wrong, but it is wrong AND inconsistent about it.
A good lpr system in not that hard! I wonder why no one has done one?
(I have heard of MDQS as a general queuer; does anyone have a good lpr
system that sends signals or acts intelligently about partial removes?).
Charles L. Perkins
...decvax!genrad!wjh12!clp
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