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From: mrush@ecst.csuchico.edu (Matt "C P." Rush)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Why is everyone bitching about Workbench
Message-ID: <1990Oct29.234739.25950@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 29 Oct 90 23:47:39 GMT
References: <29244@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <1990Oct26.202218.23039@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <15446@cbmvax.commodore.com>
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In article <15446@cbmvax.commodore.com> ken@cbmvax.commodore.com (Ken Farinsky - CATS) writes:
>In article <1990Oct26.202218.23039@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita) writes:
>>	It would be TRIVIAL to create an icon that would copy the
>>file. Under 2.0 you can open a window or an icon which will
>>recognize when an icon is dropped on it...Use AppIcon and do it!
>
>This kind-of assumes a very simple file structure (can you say ASCII?).
>You could make your program more complicated and have it handle IFF files,
>but what would you do with word processor data files, 3-D objects,
>postscript, and the like?  What happens when you copy a SMUS file to ser:?
>This all works only if you have very simple data files or a very smart
>program.

	Can you say "System Request"?  If the spooler (something like this
would HAVE to spool) doesn't understand a file type it should assume that
it's ASCII (very nasty) or it should pop up a requester asking if it should
be treated as ASCII or if it should skip it (the ever popular Retry/Cancel
options would do).

	As far as Word-Processor files, the IFF-FTXT definition SHOULD take
care of that, right?  Seriously, though, with many word processors supporting
AREXX the spooler could look at the default tool for the object, and attempt
to start the default tool with an AREXX script that would force the tool to
print the document (kind of like when you select a MacWrite document and
pull down PRINT from the file menu on a Mac)...

	And people who try to print SMUS files deserve whatever happens :-)

	-- Matt

    *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
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    %                            E-mail:  mrush@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu %
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