[4suite-dev] Deleting aliases

[Mike Brown]

Uche Ogbuji wrote:
> On Wed, 2002-07-17 at 15:20, Mike Olson wrote:
> > 4ss delete resource /alias/path
> > 
> > *will* delete the actual resource as the path is resolved to the real
> > resource then delete.
> > 
> > To avoid the
> > 
> > 4ss delete resource --no-traverse /alias/path
> > 
> > this *will* delete the alias.
> 
> I just wanted to get a few more developer perspectives.  A user was
> bitten by this, assuming that aliases were like soft links, and that you
> could delete the soft link without deleting the actual document.
> 
> I admit I probably would have fallen into the same trap.  Not that MikeO
> has clarified, I'd say I personally wouldn't see aliases so much as soft
> links.  I see URI reference objects as more like soft links.
> 
> Is the current behavior indeed too dangerous?  Or is it just a
> documentation problem?

I think it is too dangerous. Every other system that people are likely to be
using will treat aliases transparently except when deleting. If repo aliases
aren't the same, I think it will continue to be a source of frustration. I can
say I would've been bitten by it.

By the way, 4suite-dev is still losing messages. I sent one today...
Subject: error during repo init
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 13:19:57 -0600 (MDT)

   - Mike
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  mike j. brown                   |  xml/xslt: http://skew.org/xml/
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