Re: Magic Numbers to identify filetypes

[Jo Even Skarstein <joska@nuts.edu>]

On Tue, 26 May 1998, eonic man wrote:

> I think by using the magic file, icon placement, install
> application, etc can be automated.  It would be good that when a new
> GEM/TOS program is installing itself, it registers its ICON(S),
> "Creator", "type", version info in the Magic file.  This way, when
> the user double clicks on a data file created by the application,
> first AES checks the Newdesk.inf to see if the the Creator is
> indicated there, then if it doesn't find it, it checks the Magic
> info, if there is only one Creator for the filetype then it presents
> the user with a dialog box asking them to select the application to
> use.  This would be like the way Mac and PC do things. 

I don't like this idea very much. This "*I* decide which program *I*
want to load, and there's not one damn thing you can do about
it"-attitude is one of the reasons I don't like Windows and MacOS. The
current solution (manually configure the desktop) requires slightly
more work in the first place, but it has many advantages over your
suggestion:

1. It works with all applications.
2. You have full control over all your apps and files.
3. No install-program can mess up your perfect setup.


/*
** Jo Even Skarstein    http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~josk/
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