Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bbn!gateway!nav.icst.nbs.GOV!rbj
From: rbj@nav.icst.nbs.GOV (Root Boy Jim)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re:  ftp-find-file
Message-ID: <8807201559.AA20938@nav.icst.nbs.gov>
Date: 20 Jul 88 15:59:12 GMT
Sender: news@bbn.COM
Organization: BBN news/mail gateway
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? (Root Boy) Jim Cottrell <rbj@icst-cmr.arpa> says:
?     Good point. As a matter of fact, I would argue for *always* using
?     binary mode.
? 
? This is a VERY BAD idea.  The machine I usually ftp-find-file from
? (and many others) does not store text in the same way UNIX does.
? Fixing such differences is exactly what the FTP text (or netascii if
? you insist) mode is for, don't defeat the purpose of a well thought
? out protocol!  I'm not sure why you want to read non-textual
? information into an Emacs buffer, but don't force the rest of us to!
? Text mode transfers is certainly the right default for Emacs to use, I
? doubt if 1% of the usage of Emacs is for non-textual data.

OK, I'll back off on that. And I agree that rarely will one ftp-find
binary files. But for people who do, how about this: C-u M-x ftp-find-file
will turn on binary mode, without C-u do regular text mode. Same for
ftp-write-file. Everybody satisfied?

	(Root Boy) Jim Cottrell	<rbj@icst-cmr.arpa>
	National Bureau of Standards
	Flamer's Hotline: (301) 975-5688
	The opinions expressed are solely my own
	and do not reflect NBS policy or agreement
	Careful with that VAX Eugene!
I selected E5...  but I didn't hear ``Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs''!