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From: karl@sugar.UUCP (Karl Lehenbauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Version Numbers (Re: The Next Generation)
Message-ID: <1148@sugar.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Nov-87 18:08:47 EST
Article-I.D.: sugar.1148
Posted: Mon Nov 30 18:08:47 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 4-Dec-87 23:28:10 EST
References: <5294@ccicpg.UUCP> <2803@cbmvax.UUCP> <516@mcdsun.UUCP> <1604@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 38
Summary: version numbers are too indiscriminate, not liking them doesn't mean you're not a guru

In article <1604@bsu-cs.UUCP>, jdh@bsu-cs.UUCP (John Hiday) writes:
> I can't believe this stuff!  I consider most of the Amiga users on the
> net to be power-users and here I get two semi-flames about how the users
> would be too stupid to be able to handle a nice feature like this.

Hey pal, just because some of don't like version numbers doesn't mean we're
not power users.

Also, I don't think either person said users are too stupid to use the
capability.  I recall that they questioned the usefulness of the capability,
particularly on the (by far prevalent) floppy-based systems.

I'm not sure what problem version numbers are trying to solve.  Version
numbers are just too crude for tracking program changes and too indiscriminate
to use as a backup tool.  They don't do enough for tracking changes on
multiuser development projects; you'd want something like sccs or rcs for
that.

As far as keeping the file when I delete it by accident, sort of do it,
as long as you did a "DELETE FOO" rather than "DELETE FOO;*"  There are
VMS equivalents to "rm *" that will waste your files - including older
versions.  No, the trashcan solves the problem much better than version
numbers, and more appropriately given the machine.

I may want backup copies of my source but I sure don't want it for object
files and binaries when I'm developing.  Even though high-end users are
getting hard disks doesn't mean even half the Amigas will ever have hard
disks.  Indeed, the vast majority will not.
 
> It's very simple.  If you think that this concept is over your head
> simply do:   ...

Oh, give me a break.  This whole argument is ad hominum; that is, you
assert that anyone who disagrees with the concept is just too stupid to
understand it.  I think you'll find a lot of thoughtful, conscientious,
reasonable people who don't like version numbers, but in Muncie - maybe
not :-) :-) :-)
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