[boost] Re: Re: [filesystem] status() if neither file nor directory?

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-08 16:23:24

"Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:007401c5540f$efec2380$6401a8c0_at_pdimov2...
> Beman Dawes wrote:
>> "Peter Dimov" <pdimov_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
>> news:012701c553ea$c2707610$6401a8c0_at_pdimov2...
>>> Beman Dawes wrote:
>>>
>>>> 1) Add an other_flag and a matching is_other() function. Change
>>>> definition of exists() to status() &
>>>> (directory_flag|file_flag|other_flag)
>
> I should also add that, in my opinion, what you call is_file is probably 
> is_stream. Streams can be read with an ifstream, but they aren't 
> necessarily stable, seekable or finite. Take /dev/urandom, for example.

I agree at least in theory. Although people call these things "files" all 
the time.

> A hypothetical OS that allows directories to be opened with an ifstream 
> may reasonably answer true to both is_stream(p) and is_directory(p). Or 
> maybe not. :-)

I think not. Dividing the world into non-overlapping categories is much 
easier:-)

--Beman