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From: boyd@prl.dec.com (Boyd Roberts)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: file attributes
Message-ID: <1991Jun25.101523.11773@prl.dec.com>
Date: 25 Jun 91 10:15:23 GMT
References: <1783@sranha.sra.co.jp>
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Reply-To: boyd@prl.dec.com (Boyd Roberts)
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In article <1783@sranha.sra.co.jp>, erik@srava.sra.co.jp (Erik M. van der Poel) writes:
> If the computer cannot handle a particular piece of data, the human
> should be able to find out what the data is, in order to take
> appropriate action (e.g. buy a copy of the application). That is why
> we need human-readable metadata.

`human readable'?  So what language are you going to choose?  Binary
data and text are no different.  They are a terminology, a subset of
a language.  So, are we going to use Esparanto to describe our data?

Just look at Esparanto.  It's an object lesson in how _not_ to do things.
They said, `we need an international language'.  They built one.  Does anyone
use it?  Does it server any useful purpose?  Another solution looking
for a problem.

Exactly the path you want to take. There isn't even a problem, and you have a `solution', lashed together with supposition and ignorance.
 
> The magic number scheme was designed at a time when computer nerds
> were excessively worried about disk space and efficiency.

That's outrageous.  You understand nothing.

> Disk prices
> are coming down, and shared libraries are becoming universal. We don't
> need to worry about disk space and efficiency that much. Let's give
> the ordinary humans some readable metadata. And let's give the
> programmers some metadata that is extremely easy to parse, and very
> extensible.

I see you work in Japan.  The last sentence mentions `shared libraries' and
`efficiency'.  So tell me you're not just a parody of `Ohta'?


Boyd Roberts			boyd@prl.dec.com

``When the going gets wierd, the weird turn pro...''