Date   : Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:06:33 +0100
From   : jgh@... (Jonathan Graham Harston)
Subject: Level 4 FS Y2K query

"Michael Firth" wrote:
> However, when I create files (in particular using CopyFiles) the date is
> shown as 01.01.1981, and (today) the *DATE command returned "99th August
> 1989".
> Is this likely to be a problem with the version of the L4 file server I
> have, a problem with my copy of the *DATE command, or a combination of the
> two?
 
No, it's a problem with RISC OS having no way to store time&date
and load&exec at the same time.
 
RISC OS stores the time&date in the load&exec address of a
file-typed file. If there's no filetype, there's nowhere to store
the time&date. The NFS protocol /does/ deal with time&date
seperately from load&exec. If there's no filetype, L4FS returns the
time&date as 01/01/1981, the zero point of the Short Acorn Era.
 
If, from a BBC, you do *SPOOL file, a file is created with
load=&FFFFFFFF, exec=&FFFFFFFF. If you save a file from a RISC OS
machine, then when the client saves the file the client also sets
the load&exec addresses to the client's time.
 
If you want a server that stores time&date seperately from
load&exec, then use a server that stores time&date seperately from
load&exec, or mount a filing system that stores time&date
seperately and patch L4FS to read them.
 
-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh@...                - mdfs.net/User/JGH
RISC OS Choices System - http://mdfs.net/Software/RISCOS