Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!eecae!cps3xx!usenet
From: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: System 7.0 & Aliases
Summary: There are uses for the things....
Keywords: aliases useful
Message-ID: <4453@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 5 Sep 89 16:08:39 GMT
References: <1430@intercon.UUCP> <951@cbnewsk.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: rang@frith.UUCP (Anton Rang)
Organization: Engineering, Michigan State University, E. Lansing
Lines: 40

In article <951@cbnewsk.ATT.COM> ech@cbnewsk.ATT.COM (ned.horvath) writes:
>  [ Paraphrased from Tim Maroney ]
>1. What good are these things?  What can "reference by fileID"
>accomplish that "reference by pathname" cannot?

  It lets me move things around without changing the aliases.
Basically, it allows the programmer (and perhaps the user, if this is
integrated into the Finder) to change the hierarchical directory
structure into a network structure.
  Pathnames don't do this, because if I change the name of a file
(which conceptually does NOT change the object--this is important)
then my aliases all break.  Same if I move it into a different
directory.  For those who insist on comparing aliases to symbolic
links: SYMBOLIC LINKS ARE MISERABLE IF YOU MOVE FILES AROUND!  (Sorry
for yelling, but I've spent a lot of time fighting this problem...)

>2. More importantly: what impact do these "programmer only" names have
>on the end-user's mental model?

  If they're tied into the Finder, they allow a more flexible
directory structure.  It's kinda like HyperCard--you can have
arbitrary links.  Sometimes this can be confusing; if carefully used,
it's nice.  For instance...
  Suppose I have a directory called "Current work" which is stuff I'm
currently working on.  I decide it's time to update my book database,
so I put an alias for it in the "Current work" directory to remind
myself to do it.  Later in the day, I feel like cleaning up my
HyperCard files, and move them around a bit.  My new alias is still
working, even though I renamed and moved my "Book" file to be called
"Book database".

  I have to leave this now because my system is going to reboot, but
you get the idea I hope....

P.S.  Will only files be "aliasable", or directories as well?

+----------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Anton Rang (grad student)	   | "VMS Forever!"          |
| University of Wisconsin--Madison | rang@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu |
+----------------------------------+-------------------------+