Re: return value of find_file()

[Tom Culliton <culliton@xxxxxx>]

On Sat, 7 Jun 2003 11:40:37 +0000 (UTC) Joerg Sommer <joerg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> But I still have wish: find_file() shouldn't open a buffer for a file,
> that isn't readable like /bin or /etc/shadow.

But sometime you just want to look at a file for reference.  What you're
suggesting would cripple the editor.  Haven't you ever found yourself
opening read-only files like /usr/include/time.h to lookup the fields in
struct tm?  Or maybe /usr/include/limits.h when the compiler yells to
remind yourself that SHORT_MAX is really spelled SHRT_MAX?  Or used a
version control system like Perforce that keeps files read-only except
when you open them for editing?  I've even on occasion been known to
open a binary file and searched for pathnames to find out where
something was looking for configuration or data files...  These are all
perfectly reasonable things to do, and any editor that doesn't let you
do them is *broken*.

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