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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: need help with multi-reel cpio
Message-ID: <446@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 30-Apr-86 16:02:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.446
Posted: Wed Apr 30 16:02:18 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 4-May-86 05:35:12 EDT
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Reply-To: gwyn@brl.ARPA
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL)
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Xref: watmath net.unix:7758 net.unix-wizards:17915

I prefer Greg's suggestion over Griff's.  There seem to me to be
two ways to handle magtapes on UNIX:  (a) make them do the right
thing to fit the generalized idea of "file";  (b) supply special
magtape-handling bells and whistles.  I've managed in the past
to make method (a) serve quite well, even for such things as
ANSI standard magtapes; since I believe in the generalized file
approach, that's the method I recommend.  Approach (b) is not
really necessary, in my opinion.  But whatever approach is used,
it should be done RIGHT, which has not traditionally been the
case with UNIX magtape drivers.