Subject: Re: bug#7383: 24.0.50; end-of-line style on remote files

From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 04 May 2011 12:14:09 -0300

>> So now I wonder two things:
>> 1. In what cases do we want to have text-mode ftp transfers when
>> working with remote files?
>> Because, IMO TRT would be to always use binary mode, i.e., always
>> work with the file
>> in its actual EOL format. I think that is what users expect, don't they?

> See the code of `ange-ftp-write-region'. Binary transfer is explicitely
> disabled for Emacsen on MS Windows machines, if not said otherwise by
> `ange-ftp-binary-file-name-regexp':

> 	       (binary (or (ange-ftp-binary-file filename)
> 			   (and (not (memq system-type
> 					   '(ms-dos windows-nt)))
> 				(memq (ange-ftp-host-type host user)
> 				      '(unix dumb-unix)))))

> Similar (but not identical) checks are in `ange-ftp-insert-file-contents'
> and `ange-ftp-copy-file-internal'.

I think all this non-binary business in ange-ftp is inherited from
pre-Mule issues.  So I'd be tempted to always use binary now.

> And there are comments about it, like "Binary file transfers between
> machines of different architectures can be a risky business.".

I can't think of any case where a non-binary FTP transfer will correctly
convert to/from the internal file-format, and where Emacs can't do the
same or better.

        Stefan