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From: dsill@relay.nswc.navy.mil (Dave Sill)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386,gnu.emacs.bug,news.software.b
Subject: Re: GNU Emacs deletes file without warning under ISC UNIX V.3.0.1
Keywords: rmail mode, news2.11
Message-ID: <64@ark1.nswc.navy.mil>
Date: 9 Aug 89 14:06:09 GMT
References: <438@abel.UUCP>
Sender: news@ark1.nswc.navy.mil
Reply-To: dsill@relay.nswc.navy.mil (Dave Sill)
Followup-To: comp.unix.i386
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren VA
Lines: 15
In-reply-to: jma@abel.UUCP (Jeff Abrahamson)

In article <438@abel.UUCP>, jma@abel (Jeff Abrahamson) writes:
>[Emacs empties file rec.humor.funn.]
>
>	This is behavior I've never seen before.  Any thoughts?

What's happening is that Emacs is creating a backup file named
rec.humor.funn~ (15 characters) which System V truncates to
rec.humor.funn.  Of course, this behavior is neither funny nor funn.

I'm not sure who should take the blame for this: Emacs or System V,
but I'd lean toward System V since GNU Emacs is intended to run under
GNU, which won't have the 14-character limit.

As for a workaround, I'd suggest using shorter filenames or a "real"
OS.  :-)