Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!usenix!std-unix
From: heiby@mcdchg.chg.mcd.mot.com (Ron Heiby)
Newsgroups: comp.std.unix
Subject: Re: is struct utimbuf in the standard sys/types.h?
Message-ID: <415@usenix.ORG>
Date: 1 Aug 90 16:55:34 GMT
References: <405@usenix.ORG>
Sender: std-unix@usenix.ORG
Reply-To: std-unix@uunet.uu.net
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer, Schaumburg, IL
Lines: 25
Approved: jsq@usenix (Moderator, John Quarterman)

From:  heiby@mcdchg.chg.mcd.mot.com (Ron Heiby)

My understanding is that not only has the utimbuf structure been
standardized and included in sys/utime.h, but it was changed in
a manner incompatible with current practice.  Since the beginning
of time, the structure has been documented as being a pair of
time_t values (usually longs), the first specifying the access
time and the second specifying the modification time.  Now, it's
been defined to be four time_t values.  The additional two are
for additional microseconds beyond the existing time in seconds.
Do you think maybe the two new values could be put at the end
of the structure where they would do little harm?  No way!  Where
the modification time value *used* to be, now we find microseconds
tacked onto the access time value.  Also, since there was never
before a header file for utimbuf, everyone who uses it has it hard
coded into their own code (or their own .h file, if they're lucky).
The thing that really gripes me about this is that I haven't found
anyone who can explain to me why the access and modification times
for a file have to be settable to the microsecond.  It's simply
ridiculous!
-- 
Ron Heiby, heiby@chg.mcd.mot.com	Moderator: comp.newprod
"Mandatory Drug Testing?  Just Say NO!!!"

Volume-Number: Volume 20, Number 155