Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:20733 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:1257
Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!mailrus!ncar!tank!ads4
From: ads4@tank.uchicago.edu (adam david sah)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: DESCRIBE.TXT
Summary: NO NO NO NO NO
Keywords: NO!
Message-ID: <592@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 30 Oct 88 22:55:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: tank.592
References: <1565@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>
Reply-To: ads4@tank.uchicago.edu.UUCP (adam david sah)
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 12

Don't include the filename DESCRIBE.TXT as a standard filename into the ARChive!!!!! If you do that, and someone has more than one ARChive in a directory and tries to unpackage them simultaneously, there will be a collision of names and one of them will have to go.

This situation arrises when I download a stack of files from a bulletin board, and every one of them had a "README.DOC" or "READ.ME" or ....

Why not set the standard to be the filename (which is much less likely to collide) and the extension to be kept constant. Example: FILENAME.DES or .DSC (both short for description...)

The point is somewhat serious, since I, for one, like to test out all new software together, so that I lower the chances of any problems (i.e. Trojans, etc) and can keep some order, without having to leave permanent "\TEST" subdirectories lying around.

Please no flames. If anyone has any better ideas or just wants to ignore this- by all means...

-A.Sah'88
SysOp, The Art of Science BBs  (312)752-6104