From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <fd43c3683cc6005de61c7e1c0e70a14a@vitanuova.com>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: Error reporting (Was: [9fans] GNU Make)
Date: Thu,  3 Jun 2004 18:25:10 +0100
From: rog@vitanuova.com
In-Reply-To: <4b6e1908cbc6ec08378bf1eeedcada6d@vitanuova.com>
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> things like nonexistent tend to be used by programs searching
> for files, so i don't see the problem in that application.
> even if they are hunting for clone files, it would work, because
> the name mumble/clone will exist; it will fail on open.

the problem comes when it does something inappropriate based on the
judgement it's just made.

in the program from which that fragment came, it does:

	rfd = sys->open(path, omode);
	err = sprint("%r");
	if (rfd == nil && nonexistent(err)) {
		rfd = sys->create(path, omode, 8r666);
		err = nil;
	}

which might give surprising behaviour, given the error message in
question.

then again, maybe it's wrong for it to be trying to make
that judgement at all.