Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!ece-csc!ncsuvx!gatech!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!mirror!ima!cfisun!lakart!dg
From: dg@lakart.UUCP (David Goodenough)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: VMS vs. UNIX file system
Message-ID: <254@lakart.UUCP>
Date: 20 Sep 88 22:09:36 GMT
References: <3506@ihlpe.ATT.COM>
Organization: Lake - The systems people
Lines: 34

From article <3506@ihlpe.ATT.COM>, by daryl@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Daryl Monge):
> 
> What I would like in the UNIX file system the VMS system has is the ability
> to break links when a file is written.  I have an application where we wish
> to share information between two directories, but I want the link broken if
> the file is written when accessed from any directory it is listed in.  This
> happens with VMS links because of versions of files in the file system.

You have it. Consider the following:

	% mkdir foo bar
	% cat /etc/passwd >foo/file
	% ln foo/file bar

I now have one file in foo and bar - same data, cause it's a link

	% mv foo/file foo/file.old

Make a new version (o.k. so version numbers don't work so hot, but with a 10
line procedure it can be implemented)

	% update foo/file

You now have your new version, PLUS the old original, which is still a link.
In both instances we've done about the same amount of work: in either
instance update is going to have to cause the system to write the new file
completely, but that's life.

Just like you wanted.
-- 
	dg@lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough		+---+
							| +-+-+
	....... !harvard!cca!lakart!dg			+-+-+ |
						  	  +---+