Xref: utzoo comp.emacs:4904 comp.unix.microport:2306
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From: debra@alice.UUCP (Paul De Bra)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs,comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: GNU Emacs
Message-ID: <8547@alice.UUCP>
Date: 16 Dec 88 16:12:13 GMT
References: <828@ubu.warwick.UUCP> <28173@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <10960@bigtex.cactus.org> <8791@wright.mips.COM> <1138@csuchico.EDU> <429@lehi3b15.UUCP> <121@cbw1.UUCP> <8525@alice.UUCP> <448@myab.se>
Reply-To: debra@alice.UUCP ()
Organization: AT&T, Bell Labs
Lines: 26

In article <448@myab.se> lars@myab.UUCP (Lars Pensj|) writes:
>...
>It is of vital importance that all programs
>on their own check results of system calls (like write).
>...

I agree, but unfortunately very few programs actually do this for read and
write. It is very common in Unix utilities to check the result of the
open system call and then just assume that writing and closing will go well.

Reasons are obvious: programmers are a bit lazy, and the programs become
smaller and faster if you don't check. (so not checking also makes your
system look better in benchmarks which use standard utilities...)

The administrative advice which is given with every Unix system (or at least
used to be given) is that the system administrator should regularly check
the amount of free space on all file systems, to make sure they never get
full. This administrative procedure may no longer be considered acceptable,
but remember that lots of utilities have not changed, so they still rely
on this assumption.

Paul.
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