Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.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: <20665.Jun2617.26.1691@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> Date: 26 Jun 91 17:26:16 GMT References: <17493.Jun2607.22.3191@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> Organization: IR Lines: 22 In article worley@compass.com (Dale Worley) writes: > However, FTP is oriented to "directory and file name" access -- you CD > to a directory, then you GET a file. Thus, it's best to have two > fields -- the first one is "the argument to give to CD" and the second > is "the argument to give to GET". Sorry I didn't make myself clear. The real ftp model is that you do zero or more cd's, then a get. That's what ftp supports, after all... Why doesn't the single-directory, single-filename model work? Because there are some operating systems where you *have* to do cd foo, then cd bar, then get blah. You *cannot* do a combined cd and then get blah, as you can under UNIX. Furthermore, there are many operating systems which have no way to state ``current directory''. You *cannot* do a ``null cd'' and then get blah, as you can under UNIX. So it's best to have any number of fields, each meaning ``give this field to cd'', and then a final field meaning ``get this.'' A name like pub/foo/bar reflects this perfectly: cd pub, cd foo, get bar. Similarly, a simple name like readme.txt means don't do any cd's, just get bar. ---Dan