Bug#5209: exmh destroys my inbox

["Larry 'Daffy' Daffner" <vizzie@airmail.net>]

Winfried Truemper writes:
-> 
-> 
-> On Fri, 1 Nov 1996, Larry 'Daffy' Daffner wrote:
-> 
-> vizzie> system spool to the mh folders.  Should rm also warn you that it's
-> vizzie> going to remove files in a big warning message?
-> 
-> Nonsense. "rm" is for deleting files so it's ok when it deletes them.
-> Nobody will wonder about that.
-> BTW, many people have the file "-i" in important directories so they are
-> not deleted by an "rm -rf" but a warning message is printed instead.
-> 
-> "exmh" is a mail-reader and the expected behaviour is that it _reads_
-> mail.

I can make any UNIX program behave 'unexpectedly' if I extract the
description high enough.  For example, rm is a fle manipulation tool.
Using that description, then I should have to print the warning
message above.

Exmh's description is (From the Packages file):
An X user interface for MH mail.
As such, it's expected behavior should be to do what MH does.  IE,
move all mail to MH-style folders.

Using the logic above, almost any command on the system should print a
warning the first time it's run.

-> vizzie> I recommend this bug be closed as not a bug.
-> 
-> That's the typicall old UNIX-philosophy: "The current state of all
-> programs is ok, we don't need to think about enhancing them. Every user
-> who does not have this opinion is defined as a big dummy." 

I never said this.  My only comment was that it should not be a bug
for a program to do what it's supposed to without "Are you sure?"
messages all over the place. 

UNIX philosophy is in general that the user is, in general, smart
enough to know what they're doing.  Protecting the user from theirself
is directly contrary to that philosophy.

--
  Larry Daffner        |  Linux: Unleash the workstation in your PC!
  vizzie@airmail.net / http://web2.airmail.net/vizzie/
It is important to keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall
out.  --Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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