Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!stanford.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!kramden.acf.nyu.edu!brnstnd From: brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) Newsgroups: comp.archives.admin Subject: Re: archive normal form Message-ID: <17493.Jun2607.22.3191@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> Date: 26 Jun 91 07:22:31 GMT References: <1991Jun25.063045.22031@mel.dit.csiro.au> Organization: IR Lines: 37 In article emv@msen.com (Ed Vielmetti) writes: > 19910520220500 f export.lcs.mit.edu /contrib ups-2.31.tar.Z 963435 ftp,30 Methinks 19910520220500 f export.lcs.mit.edu:contrib/ups-2.31.tar.Z 963435 ftp,30 is both more readable and more accurate. Your separation between ``directory'' and ``file'' is a mistake, because some operating systems can express neither the null directory nor more than one directory in a single command. It's much more logical to have a composite filename, where each component before a slash means ``change directory to this.'' foo/bar/blah means ``cd foo, then cd bar, then get blah.'' Of course, you can pile all the cd's into one if you're talking to a UNIX server, but automated programs shouldn't depend on knowing the remote system type. It's probably necessary to add quoting ("/", perhaps), for cases like the Kerberos distribution where you simply have to combine two cd's into one or you hit a wall. You had better take into account that a lot of people don't have DNS. Also, some systems don't have meaningful dates or owners but still support ftp. > 19910530012300 d msen.com /debug/ups emv,case 19910530012300 d msen.com:debug/ups/ emv,case The blank filename means that you're referring to the directory. > 19910624112800 w prep.ai.mit.edu /pub/gnu gawk* bug-gnu-utils 19910624112800 w prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/gawk* bug-gnu-utils > XXX should ascii,binary be in here somewhere too? Probably. Maybe introduce an ``E'' type, just like f but for EBCDIC, meaning that you shouldn't use binary. (I'm half serious.) ---Dan