Re: Virtual Places --- Enhance Your Web with Human Presence

Fisher Mark (FisherM@is3.indy.tce.com)
Mon, 23 Jan 1995 14:18:58 +0100

Chris Lilley writes in <13334.9501201355@afs.mcc.ac.uk>:
>This sort of thing makes folks nervous. Echoing something like "about
>to delete these files now, ok? (yes/no/abort)" followed by a listing of
the
>directory about to be wiped, would give me more confidence. Also, I
>would prefer to execute the second, install, script *after* I had read
>it. Just a couple of small points. Or do other folks on the list think
>I am being over cautious?
No, I think that writing scripts like this is a bad habit to fall into.
Safe-Tcl's approach of asking the user before making filesystem changes is
a Good Thing.

Fisher's Laws of Transmissable Agents:
1. An agent may not injure the computer system it runs on.

2. An agent must obey its programming except where such orders would
conflict with the First Law.

3. An agent must protect its own existence as long as such protection does
not conflict with the First or Second Law.
(with a tip of the hat to the late, great Isaac Asimov...)

Mark "thinking too hard on a Monday morning"
======================================================================
Mark Fisher Thomson Consumer Electronics
fisherm@indy.tce.com Indianapolis, IN

"Just as you should not underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon
traveling 65 mph filled with 8mm tapes, you should not overestimate
the bandwidth of FTP by mail."