Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!urz.unibas.ch!balmer
From: balmer@urz.unibas.ch
Newsgroups: comp.os.os9
Subject: Re: Can't execute "J" - Error #000: 216
Message-ID: <1991Jun18.184533.1648@urz.unibas.ch>
Date: 18 Jun 91 17:45:32 GMT
References: <1991Jun14.202821.20308@unhd.unh.edu> <1991Jun15.001249.5963@ncsu.edu> <1991Jun18.033225.12476@mmm.serc.3m.com>
Organization: University of Basel, Switzerland
Lines: 26

In article <1991Jun18.033225.12476@mmm.serc.3m.com>, manning@halley.tmc.edu (Arthur T. Manning) writes:
> I've also encountered this stupid error when downloading code and forgetting
> to put ftp in binary mode.
> 
> --
> Arthur T. Manning   <manning@halley.est.3m.com>  
> 3M Center 518-1    St Paul MN  55144-1000        \___/______         
> ph. 612 733-4401   fax 612 736-3122             __  / _ _ _  \
> Allin1--> <MANNING @MRGATE @EST780>            (_/_/_/ / / /_/      <><

Whenever the u-ware OS-9 shell tries to execute a file (programs are files...)
it searches in the current execution directory. If a file is not found in it,
the shell then searches every directory in the environment variable PATH for
the file. And at last it looks in the current directory for a shell-script
(not for a binary, executable file!). The shell tries to execute the "J"
because every OS-9 programs begins with it.

Someone proposed to write a program called "J" which would be executed in
this case. The programm J will actually execute, the problem is  that the
shell tries to execute the next bytes of the binary file. You then get an
error message like "Error 216: can't execute verflow".

The best solution is, to put your directory in the environment variable
PATH, so all binaries will execute.

- Marc