Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!think!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!rws
From: rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Bob Scheifler)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: R4 Athena Widget question.
Message-ID: <9003021331.AA01425@expire.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 2 Mar 90 13:31:13 GMT
References: <9003020133.AA18497@hpcvxben.HP.COM>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 24


    Very good Bob, but according to my source, Mr. Blow *wanted* a TEMP 
    file.

A text editor checkpoint file is a "TEMP" file, in my mind.  Yes, there is
a distinction between temp files that should or shouldn't survive a crash
of the client, but they're both "temporary".

    It was the fact that an *unwanted* file was left after a crash
    that started this whole thing.

No, it wasn't a *crash*, it was a normal termination of the client.
The argument was that "normal" termination of a client should allow
widgets to "clean up" in some fashion, yet the way most core clients
exit doesn't permit this.  This is entirely distinct from a crash,
and bears directly on the distinction between the two classes of "temp"
file.

    Your comment seems a bit out of context.

I'm simply generalizing from the specific example to argue that the mechanism
is inappropriate for a certain kind of widget state.  And yes, Mr. Blow
could probably solve his particular problem under a POSIX system, but Xt is
supposed to be OS independent.