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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 12:20:40 -0500
To: Jean Delvare <delvare AT ensicaen DOT ismra DOT fr>
From: "Larry Hall (RFK Partners, Inc)" <lhall AT rfk DOT com>
Subject: Re: file descriptors opened as text files
Cc: cygwin AT sources DOT redhat DOT com
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At 12:21 PM 2/15/2001, Jean Delvare wrote:


> > Its not a Cygwin invention.  Its a MS one.  Check out the documentation
> > for open()/_open() on the MSDN.  They use the _O_BINARY flag.  Don't get me
> > wrong.  I hate text mode in all its forms.  Perhaps Cygwin could've forgone
> > its use here.  Maybe not.  However, doing so here follows the MS lead and
> > wasn't a Cygwin concoction.
>I don't use MS development softwares. That's not the point here. Cygwin
>intends to provide an environment for fast port from Unix to Windows, so
>what it must look and behave like is Unix, not Windows. And the fast if,
>O_BINARY and O_TEXT are not defined on Unix systems. Moreover, a file
>descriptor is always working in binary mode on Unix. Thus, the choice
>Cygwin made here will necessary cause problems to anyone porting a
>software using file descriptors, and there must (and will) be thousands,
>for sure.
>
>I strongly believe that the correct behavior would be to consider any file
>descriptor as binary. People needing higher lever control are supposed to
>use handles anyway, not descriptors.


Feel free to start another binary vs text file debate/war but for the sanity
of all on this list that have lived through it many times before here, take 
it up on another list.

Thanks,



Larry Hall                              lhall AT rfk DOT com
RFK Partners, Inc.                      http://www.rfk.com
118 Washington Street                   (508) 893-9779 - RFK Office
Holliston, MA 01746                     (508) 893-9889 - FAX



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