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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!trb
From: trb@floyd.UUCP (Andy Tannenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: lseek beyond EOF se-man-tic gripe
Message-ID: <1931@floyd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Aug-83 16:27:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: floyd.1931
Posted: Tue Aug 23 16:27:33 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Aug-83 22:25:32 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany, NJ
Lines: 14

According to the 4.1bsd (7th Edition) lseek(2) man page:

	Seeking far beyond the end of a file, then writing, creates a
	gap or `hole', which occupies no physical space and reads as
	zeros.

Pray tell, just how far beyond EOF must one seek before this feature
takes effect, and if not physical space, does it occupy some
transcendental space? ;-)

At least this man page tells you that the feature exists, the System
III/V manuals just ignore it.

	Andy Tannenbaum   Bell Labs  Whippany, NJ   (201) 386-6491