* Rolf Magnus:
Depends on the OS. Windows supports hardlinks for files, symlinks for
directories, and shortcuts (which are like symlinks but not
automatically resolved) for anything. The rename approach might be
appropriate when safety against file content destruction is important,
you're guaranteed that no other process will create that file in the
span between its deletion and recreation by your program, and efficiency
is valued more than link preservation.

I think it should be a user-selectable option.

Follow-ups to [comp.programming].

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Alf wrote:
) Depends on the OS. Windows supports hardlinks for files, symlinks for
) directories, and shortcuts (which are like symlinks but not
) automatically resolved) for anything. The rename approach might be
) appropriate when safety against file content destruction is important,
) you're guaranteed that no other process will create that file in the
) span between its deletion and recreation by your program, and efficiency
) is valued more than link preservation.

It also protects against losing the whole file when there is a crash
halfway during the write. Hard links are evil anyway. :-)

) I think it should be a user-selectable option.

Users shouldn't be trusted to make such a choice.
No smiley, it reflects my actual opinion of the average user.


SaSW, Willem
--
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for any of the statements
made in the above text. For all I know I might be
drugged or something..
No I'm not paranoid. You all think I'm paranoid, don't you !
#EOT