Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!eecae!cps3xx!usenet
From: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: MicroEmacs is dangerous!!
Message-ID: <1713@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 3 Feb 89 15:17:31 GMT
References: <1028@sdcc15.ucsd.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineering, Michigan State U., E. Lansing MI
Lines: 34

in article <1028@sdcc15.ucsd.edu>, pa1343@sdcc15.ucsd.edu (pa1343) says:
$ Keywords: File naminig and write protect.
$ 
$ Beware!  Emacs 3.9 is dangerous.  If you don't name a file it can't
$ save it until a name is given. 

Of course, if a name isn't given it can't open it. Personally I've
had no problem typing ^X^W to write out the file instead of ^X^S

$ Worse yet, in mess-dos if a disk is write 
$ protected, the program can't write to it and bombs with Abort, Retry, Just 
$ Give it up.   These bugs need to be fixed.  Suggestion:  if file does
$ not have a name, ASK for one.  Second, check for write protect in mess-
$ dos and for permission in UNIX and allow alternate save paths.

Since my hard disk isn't write protected I haven't run into that one.
I don't think it is that hard to realize that you have just put in a 
write-protected floppy and are trying to edit on it. I suspect you
should be able to say "ABort" and use ^L to restore your screen. Then
use ^X^W.

I wouldn't call either one of these bugs. If either of them bothers you
so much and you think it should be fixed, hack the source code and
submit the patches to Dan Lawrence. The Microemacs code isn't that
complex to modify.

I've been using MicroEmacs under both MS-DOS and UNIX for a couple of
years now and have never found anything in it I would call dangerous.


John H. Lawitzke      UUCP: ...rutgers!mailrus!frith!fciiho!jhl
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