Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!wugate!wupost!kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!anu-news!list From: SLOANE@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Bob Sloane) Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news Subject: Re: Usability of SLP (was Re: News V5.9 availability?) Message-ID: Date: 20 Jul 89 21:54:00 GMT Sender: ANU-NEWS Discussion Reply-To: Bob Sloane Lines: 42 X-VMS-To: ANU-NEWS Tim Russell writes: >> what problems have you had with SLP diffs? Why should we depend on a program > > I've had the problem that patches have failed, mangled up my files, and NOT > TOLD me that they did so. Patch lets you know, as I said. This problem is addressed in the command file I posted to do updates. Did you look at it? It checksums the input file and makes sure it matches the original input file. It complains if there is a problem. As long as you apply the SLP patches to the same source, you will get the correct results. >> that is unsupported for VMS when we have a program that works and IS >> supported? How do we know that this patch program will be any better than SLP >> diffs? I think we should stick with something that is a supported product and >> that everyone has already. > > That's one advantage that SLP has, I agree: everyone has it. However, it's > a small matter, I would think, to stick patch in with NEWS. I think it is a MAJOR advantage, since I have been unable to locate a VMS version of PATCH. Would you like to convert/write one? I have better things to do than try to fix a problem that we aren't even sure IS a problem yet. Post a version of patch to the net that actually works on VMS, and I will be happy to debate the pro's and con's of using patch vs SLP. Until then, SLP is all we have. > SLP is supported? Sure, fill out an SPR and wait for three major releases > of VMS to go by. At least we'd have the source to patch. I will ask again. Do you know of any errors that should be fixed? All you have pointed out so far is that you have had troubles using the program, not that it doesn't work. As far as I know, EDIT/SUM works just fine is used properly. The problem of it not recoginizing that the input file it was patching was not the correct file is not an error, and is addressed in my UPDATE.COM command procedure by checksumming the input file. If you have something better, lets see it. +-------------------+-------------------------------------+------------------+ | Bob Sloane \Internet: SLOANE@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU/Anything I said is | | Computer Center \ BITNET: SLOANE@UKANVAX.BITNET / my opinion, not my | | University of Kansas\ AT&T: (913) 864-0444 / employer's. | +-----------------------+-----------------------------+----------------------+