Re: new source format

[kaih@khms.westfalen.de (Kai Henningsen)]

jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk (Jules Bean)  wrote on 16.03.99 in <[🔎] Pine.SOL.3.95q.990316124800.2674O-100000@red.csi.cam.ac.uk>:

> Is having a long Unpack-Commands header preferable to an unpack control
> script?
>
> I would have thought the latter was more flexible.

That's *why* the header solution is preferrable. Ian has always pointed  
out (and I now think he's right) that we do not want arbitrary scripts  
executed on unpacking the source. That's just too dangerous.

Of course, you could still put this in a separate file and _call_ that an  
"unpack script", but the important thing is that it needs to have a  
severely restricted syntax that does *not* allow calling arbitrary  
commands.

MfG Kai