Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1a 12/4/83; site rlgvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!guy From: guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris) Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Alex Whites solution to end of tape recognition in UNIX Message-ID: <1809@rlgvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 13-Mar-84 16:24:21 EST Article-I.D.: rlgvax.1809 Posted: Tue Mar 13 16:24:21 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 14-Mar-84 19:40:50 EST References: <17461@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA Lines: 25 > ANSI Labels? Now theres something that isn't compatible with the UNIX > spirit. Files are files. Just bytes. Who needs records and labels. The same argument could be levelled agains "tar" or "tp" or "cpio"-format tapes. Labels are needed to indicate the name of the file which follows the label. ANSI labelled tapes need not have files divided into records; RT-11 happily writes a stream of bytes (or blocks, if you prefer) after the label. ANSI labelled tapes as a UNIX storage medium should be considered to be the same sort of thing as "tar" or "cpio" tapes; the labels are there for the benefit of the tape reading program, and the structure of the data is the business of the program for whom the files are intended, not the tape reading program. It might be useful, however, to have a program which understands the ANSI *record* format as well; this could be used to transfer files (source-type files, anyway) between various machines, including machines running UNIX. I agree that OS support of labelled tapes might not be useful; however, the cheap answer to the question of "who needs records and labels" is "people who have to read or write tapes which are compatible with systems which use ANSI labelled tapes". UNIX doesn't exist in a vacuum; there *are* other systems out there and UNIX *does* have to deal with them. Guy Harris {seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy