Date   : Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:45:47 +0100
From   : mfirth@... (Michael Firth)
Subject: Level 4 FS Y2K query

Jonathan Graham Harston wrote:
>> Message-ID: <971C5A27701644AABF7B086BA2040137@...>
>>     
>  
> "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.
>  
>   
That's what I postulated in a later message, unfortunately I'm not 
familiar enough with the RiscOS internals to have known that.

It does seem odd that Acorn moved backwards in terms of features from 
the Level 3 to Level 4 file server - indeed I think the Level 2 
fileserver could store dates and load/exec addresses.

I guess that's just more evidence for the idea that Acorn were losing 
interest in supporting BBC Micros fully by around 1990.

Never mind, no other mainstream BBC file system stores datestamps on 
files either.

Regards

Michael