Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!ames!ptsfa!hoptoad!academ!killer!jfh From: jfh@killer.UUCP (The Beach Bum) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: How do I set a file's creation date? Message-ID: <1173@killer.UUCP> Date: Wed, 22-Jul-87 17:43:45 EDT Article-I.D.: killer.1173 Posted: Wed Jul 22 17:43:45 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 28-Jul-87 03:32:16 EDT References: <4280@caip.rutgers.edu> <1108@killer.UUCP> <1650@sfsup.UUCP> Organization: The Unix(tm) Connection, Dallas, Texas Lines: 59 Summary: ha ha ha - not so funny. In article <1650@sfsup.UUCP>, mpl@sfsup.UUCP (M.P.Lindner) writes: > In article <1108@killer.UUCP>, jfh@killer.UUCP writes: > > > > I have posted my version of the Version 7 settime(1) command to > > comp.sources.misc. Watch for it! > > > > - John. > > :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) > I just read it! > Seriously, have you ever heard of "touch"? Read section 1 of your UNIX(R) > manual! > :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) :{) I must remember not to post replies to some of these articles. There is always some joker that doesn't know how to think his way out of a paper bag and posts an assinine follow-up like this one. Usually has something to do with a one-system view of the world. Something like 'my system has this version of tooch, therefore they all do'. Not all touch(1)'s are created equally!!! And yes, I have heard of touch. I also know of the cases in which touch cannot be used. 1). read-only devices. opens for writting would be disallowed and touch would fail. 2). zero length files. some old versions of touch actually read the first byte, rewound the file and wrote the first byte right back. 3). magnetic tape drives. opening for writing and then closing will cause an eot mark to be written very close to the beginning of the tape. 4). serial devices. you can imagine the results here. 5). directories. we all know you can't open a directory for writing. In fact, the only place I could think of touch working was files that were Regular Files, and had a non-zero length. FIFO's, which didn't exist in Version 7 don't count, but then I can't vouch for Berkeley Unix and what manner of wierdness it has for files, or how it's touch works this semester. Oh, and one last little jab while in the area. Can touch make two files have the same atime and mtime down to the last second without having to set them _both_ to a certain time? No, of course not. I didn't think so. - John. --- -- John F. Haugh II HECI Exploration Co. Inc. UUCP: ...!ihnp4!killer!jfh 11910 Greenville Ave, Suite 600 "Don't Have an Oil Well?" Dallas, TX. 75243 " ... Then Buy One!" (214) 231-0993