neil@sunybcs.UUCP (01/16/87)
>> From: jkf@ucbarpa.berkeley.edu@ficl.UUCP (John Foderaro) >> Newsgroups: comp.emacs >> Subject: Re: concerning Gnu Emacs backup files >> Date: 4 Jan 87 19:28:08 GMT >> Sender: nessus@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU >> >> 1. make the backup filenames begin with '.#' and the checkpoint >> filenames begin with '.##'. >> 2. add a line to /usr/lib/crontab (or else use 'at' if you aren't a >> superuser) which daily checks for out of date backup and >> checkpoint files and removes them. >> >> -john foderaro I have modified GNU Emacs so that by default all backup files and auto-save files are preceded by a '.#' before their standard names. This can be changed by re-assigning the value of the variable 'backup-file-prefix' in the '.emacs' file. This now forces inexperienced users backup files to go away after several days, but experienced users can modify this prefix to prevent this from happening. Sites can also decide what they want the default to be and change it in there 'site-local.el' files. I will be willing to send this code to anyone who wants it (it is less than 3K - I know it runs on version 18.35 and does NOT run on version 17.64). Neil