[Coco] 'arc' copy command and Stack Overflow (ERROR #207)

[Gene Heskett]

On Tuesday 27 January 2015 10:10:33 Allen Huffman did opine
And Gene did reply:
> > On Jan 27, 2015, at 6:58 AM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at wdtv.com> wrote:
> > 
> > I objected to the dsave changes that were made, many years ago now,
> > because it broke existing usage.  But once you get used to it, it
> > does work better.
> 
> I noticed dsave has support to create a .dsk image (VERY cool). What
> else changed?

DIIK Allen. I guess I should read that src too? I only recall gettinmg 2 
ways to do it for a help dsave, to a script or piped to a shell.

> >  But it took me a decade to get used to it. But I did get
> > 
> > extremely frustrated with another of our utilities that dsave uses,
> > makdir, erroring out if the directory already existed. So I fixed
> > makdir so that it now longer outputs the error if its an already
> > exist error. To me, if the directory already exists, the object has
> > been accomplished and no error need be reported, so now dsave can be
> > run in a mode that does stop on a real error.  However, rather than
> > having it shell out, where that would work, I find it more
> > convenient to save its output as a script, edit if needed, and run
> > the script.
> 
> Ah, yes, BUT...
> 
> I have an issue with telling a program/command to make something and it
> already being there and it not telling me. If I want to do:
> 
> makdir /sd1/BACKUP
> arc /sd0/mystuff /sd1/BACKUP
> 
> ...and makdir doesn't say "Uh, you already have one there. Maybe you
> don't want to copy stuff in to this pre-existing directory" that could
> lead to a mess.

In that case, we need a new error number assignment.  To me, it was a 
pleasure to be able to dsave a new install that would update the existing 
build tree on the cocos disk, and not have to call up an editor with a 
huge buffer just to edit out the makdir's in it.  On the coco, that could 
be at least an hours work for a major copy project.

> SDC-DOS for CoCoSDC has the same issue with creating disk images. If
> it's already there, no error:
> 
> DRIVE 1,"COCOMAX3.DSK",NEW
> BACKUP 0 TO 1
> 
> Whooops! I already had a "COCOMAX3.DSK" image and just erased it with
> the new one, with no warning, 'cause I didn't remember that 100 disks
> ago I had another CM3 disks with other pictures on it. (GRRR, I did
> this a half dozen or more times that I *know* during my floppy backup,
> and possibly many more I didn't know.)
> 
> If the original makdir did not return an error, so be it -- we should
> have kept it "official" for compatibility, and allowed users to swap
> out alternate commands if they wished (like we all did in the original
> OS-9 L2 days). But, if I had to choose, I'd want the error.
> 
> Then, the solution would be, adding an option that either says "warn me
> if it exists" or "don't warn me if it exists" much like how copy
> commands have a -r overwrite option or whatever.

Well, we have the src, and as people are often told, patches welcome. :)
 
> Best thing today -- WE HAVE SOURCES and can change and make new stuff!
> Heavenly!
> 
> 		-- A

Absolutely. Whats not to love?

Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
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