[comp.sys.mac.programmer] MPW Files command

nicky@cup.portal.com (nick john pilch) (05/25/90)

The p flag returned by the Files command is the "protected" bit I think,
bit 6 of the ioFlAttrib field of the HFileInfo struct. The o flag is the
"open" bit, bit 7 of the same field.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Nick Pilch
nicky@cup.portal.com
AppleLink: NICK.PILCH

lefty@twg.com (David N. Schlesinger) (06/07/90)

In article <1990May24.160353.13292@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> 
dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes:
> --------------------  ---- ---- ------ ---------- ---------------...
> foo                   TEXT MPS      2K lvbspoimad  5/24/90 10:58 ...
>                                            ^^
>                                            ||
>                                            What are these?

The "o" is the Open bit, lit if the file is currently open.  The "p" is 
the Protected bit, also known (does anyone know WHY?) as the "Bozo" bit, 
which, I believe, is not used these days for anything at all...

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philip@Kermit.Stanford.EDU (Philip Machanick) (06/09/90)

In article <7257@gollum.twg.com>, lefty@twg.com (David N. Schlesinger) writes:
> In article <1990May24.160353.13292@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> 
> dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes:
> > --------------------  ---- ---- ------ ---------- ---------------...
> > foo                   TEXT MPS      2K lvbspoimad  5/24/90 10:58 ...
> >                                            ^^
> >                                            ||
> >                                            What are these?
> 
> The "o" is the Open bit, lit if the file is currently open.  The "p" is 
> the Protected bit, also known (does anyone know WHY?) as the "Bozo" bit, 
> which, I believe, is not used these days for anything at all...

The story I heard was this was meant to implement copy protection, and
the "Bozo" name derived from someone's view of the effectiveness/usefulness
of the scheme (having a bit anyone with a low-level file editor could unset
to indicate copy protection).

Philip Machanick
philip@pescadero.stanford.edu

mwilkins@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Mark Wilkins) (06/09/90)

In article <7257@gollum.twg.com> lefty@twg.com (David N. Schlesinger) writes:
>The "p" is 
>the Protected bit, also known (does anyone know WHY?) as the "Bozo" bit, 
>which, I believe, is not used these days for anything at all...


  Once, I heard that the Bozo bit is used for a touch of rudimentary copy
protection, and that if it is set it prevents the item from being copied in
the finder, thus protecting it from Bozos.

  I do not know whether this was ever true, and I don't care enough to see
if it is true now.

-- Mark Wilkins
-- 
  "According  to  our  contract, at  precisely  midnight  of  the  night 
  of her greatest triumph,  the party of the first  part,  (that's you), 
  agrees to render up  her soul,  now and  forevermore,  to the party of 
  the second part.  (That's me).  Shall we go?"                          

morten@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Morten Ronseth) (06/13/90)

In article <7257@gollum.twg.com> lefty@twg.com (David N. Schlesinger) writes:
>In article <1990May24.160353.13292@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> 
>dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes:
>> --------------------  ---- ---- ------ ---------- ---------------...
>> foo                   TEXT MPS      2K lvbspoimad  5/24/90 10:58 ...
>>                                            ^^
>>                                            ||
>>                                            What are these?
>
>The "o" is the Open bit, lit if the file is currently open.  The "p" is 
>the Protected bit, also known (does anyone know WHY?) as the "Bozo" bit, 

Because the protection scheme is so ridicilously bad, only a bozo
could've come up with it (this is actually true...).

		Morten.
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