Re: GS/OS FST

[mattd@apple.com (Matt Deatherage)]

In article <1d8ahmINN8tt@gap.caltech.edu>, toddpw@cco.caltech.edu (Todd P.
Whitesel) wrote:
> 
> (You _could_ encode permissions in the HFS filetype/creator or in
> the FinderInfo, BTW. Just don't let Matt D. catch you.)
> 
> Todd Whitesel
> toddpw @ cco.caltech.edu

This is an idea roughly as bad as trying to use ProDOS file types as bit
flags if there's ever a chance in hell that real ProDOS software will
see the files.

First, all HFS creator types have to be registered with Apple.  (There's
tons more of them, so those are mostly just registration -- you ask for
what you want and you usually get it, or your second choice.  Apple II
file types are _assigned_ because there are only 256 of them.)  Any time a
disk with that stuff would ever get inserted into a Macintosh, you'd
cause _massive_ confusion and heartache.

And since you're supposed to copy that stuff with files, that means it
extends to floppies and can start carrying over to desktop databases
and stuff.

It doesn't matter if you don't _intend_ it to be used on a Macintosh or
not -- people will, and people will be unhappy at what you've perpetrated
on them.  "Reserved" means reserved, even across platforms.

I sympathize with Jawaid wanting permissions, but hacking them into an
existing file system without using a parallel directory structure is just
too annoying for words.

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Matt Deatherage, Developer Support Center, Apple Computer, Inc.
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