Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!pacbell.com!tandem!netcom!mcmahan
From: mcmahan@netcom.UUCP (Dave Mc Mahan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Does Everybody leave dos.library open?
Message-ID: <14766@netcom.UUCP>
Date: 14 Oct 90 19:38:38 GMT
References: <14721@netcom.UUCP> <CEDMAN.90Oct13225759@lynx.ps.uci.edu>
Organization: Dave McMahan @ NetCom Services
Lines: 42


 In a previous article, cedman@lynx.ps.uci.edu (Carl Edman) writes:
>In article <14721@netcom.UUCP> mcmahan@netcom.UUCP (Dave Mc Mahan) writes:
>   I was just cruising through some software today, and noticed that many,many,
>   programs leave the dos.library open after exiting.  In fact, it seems to be
>   a majority in the (limited) sample of stuff I tested, mostly PD.
>
>Yes, I have noticed that many programms do this. It is not very nice and
>very clean, but in the case of "dos.library" it doesn't really matter.
>There is only one copy of "dos.library" around anyway and that copy
>is not in RAM but in WOM (yes, for you people out there who use these
>new-fangled (:-) 500s and 2000s that is ROM). Even if you could
>expunge it , it wouldn't be very likely that you would ever with a
>running system get in the situation where no task anylonger needs
>the dos.library. So never mind about that. It is only a matter of
>tidyness (or neuroticism if you prefer).

I realize that it is generally no big deal, since one would never want to
expunge the dos.library, but it seems to indicate a possible problem.  For
those that want to leave the amiga on for weeks or months at a time and
run lots of programs (we are talking about thousands if not billions of
program executions) that leave dos.library open, wouldn't the variable
eventually overflow and possibly cause problems.  I'm messy in the rest
of my life, but I try to make my programs thoughtful and tidy.  Leaving
a library open is not tidy.  Who knows, it might cause bad effects in
AmigaDos 5.3 or higher.   It's just a good idea.

>Ever noticed that no programm ever even opens much less closes
>"exec.library" ? Now that is a serious problem which you should
>investigate (Lots of :-) in this paragraph.)

I guess it would be kind of tough to close, but it could be done.  Could be
the basis for a real neat virus if you expunged the exec.library.  :-)
>
>	Carl Edman
>
>PS: I always opened and closed not only "dos.library" but even "exec.library".
>(Yes, I am a neurotic :-).

Good to see.

    -dave