Friday, February 28, 2003

Finder File/Folder Overwrite Bug Finder X, unlike Finder 9, allows the user to overwrite a folder with a file and vice-versa. You can reproduce this: Create a new folder named "test" Elsewhere, create a file named "test" Drag file "test" over into folder "test"'s container. Finder X will warn "A newer item named "test" already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the older one you are moving?" with [Stop] [Replace] buttons. Finder 9 correctly would not allow the action at all. That is, it would put up a "stop" alert with one unconditional button: [OK]. I accidentally deleted a folder filled with configuration files due to this bug, that couldn't occur under Mac OS 9.[rentzsch.com: Tales from the Red Shed] I don't get it. Why is this a bug? You wanted to stick something into a container where that container already contained something of the same name. Why should it treat replacing a folder with a file of the same name (or vice-versa) any differently than replacing a folder with a folder or a file with a file? If anything, this is a demonstration of the unfortunate results of a non-case sensitive, case-preserving, filesystem (in that Jon was trying to put a file with the same name as the folder but different case usage into the same container). 1:04:21 PM  pontificate