[cap-talk] Save as Reducing the authority of a file browser in a capability OS.

[Ben Kloosterman]

The whole SaveAs or "Open With" has always seemed to me to be a poor choice
designed entirely to ensure formats are proprietary with OS installable
encoders/decoders  ( like Media files ) you would not need to worry about
file formats and which program understands what format and besides it
confuses users. This applies even more to pdf / postscript. The only gotcha
is some formats may lose information . Are file extensions though well
understood also an anachronism more suited to past systems , why should the
User care ? Though removing extensions and SaveAs/Open with should have
little impact on security . 

Regards, 

Ben 

 >-----Original Message-----
 >From: cap-talk-bounces at mail.eros-os.org [mailto:cap-talk-
 >bounces at mail.eros-os.org] On Behalf Of Karp, Alan H
 >Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 7:38 AM
 >To: rmeijer at xs4all.nl; General discussions concerning capability
 >systems.
 >Subject: Re: [cap-talk] Reducing the authority of a file browser in a
 >capability OS.
 >
 >Rob Meijer wrote:
 >>
 >> I know I have tried to make this point a few times before, but one
 >reason
 >> why the word-processor could already have a more powerful capability
 >may
 >> be that the word-processor created the file.
 >
 >The word processor should have full power over files it creates.  These
 >include temp files for recovery, configuration files, even new
 >documents.  However, when the user does a SaveAs, the user should take
 >control over the file.  If the process is pseudo-persistent, it can
 >retain the r/w capability to the file.  However, if the word processor
 >is simply restarted, then the user should decide which of the user's
 >files it can access.  The word processor retains full power over the
 >files it previously created.
 >
 >
 >________________________
 >Alan Karp
 >Principal Scientist
 >Virus Safe Computing Initiative
 >Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
 >1501 Page Mill Road
 >Palo Alto, CA 94304
 >(650) 857-3967, fax (650) 857-7029
 >http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Alan_Karp
 >
 >
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