From: sigma@rahul.net (Kevin Martin)
Subject: Re: CView answers
Keywords: Stupid Programming
Nntp-Posting-Host: bolero
Organization: a2i network
Lines: 26

In <C5LEvt.1nJ@rahul.net> bryanw@rahul.net (Bryan Woodworth) writes:
>In <1qlobb$p5a@tuegate.tue.nl> renew@blade.stack.urc.tue.nl (Rene Walter) writes:
>[Most info regarding dangers of reading from Floppy disks omitted]
>>unrevcoverable way.  SO BE CAREFUL!  It is incredibly poor programming for a
>>program to do this...
>Nevertheless, it is an important bug that needs to be squashed.  I am
>merely pointing out that it was probably overlooked.  While it is serious,
>one must keep in mind that it will probably affect at most 5% of the
>targeted users of CView.

OK, I don't use CView anymore, but I saw that no one had explaind this
"bug" in the thread, so here goes:

It is NOT the fault of CView.  It is DOS!  If you leave a file open on a
floppy drive, then change the disk and do something which updates or closes
that file, you have a good chance of getting part of the directory and FAT
from the other disk written to the new disk.  This has always been true,
and has destroyed data under other programs, not just CView.

The only thing CView can do to improve the situation is to try not to leave
files open unless it's actively using them (ie, reading and decoding).

-- 
Kevin Martin
sigma@rahul.net
"I gotta get me another hat."
