[pmmail-list] PMMAIL 2.20.2380 file corruption (forwards with attachments)

[Kris Sorem Sr]

My reply to message from Carl Gehr sent on
Thu, 20 Sep 2001 19:15:21 -0400 (EDT). You wrote:

>Not so fast!!!!  You are guilty of the word 'AssUMe' by thinking you
>know how every user operates their environment.  Well, you are
>completely wrong!

Carl, where the hell did you come up with the idea that I am thinking I
"know how every user operates their environment". The only assumption I
made applied to the /intent/ of the designers of PMMail. I MAY be wrong in
that assumption since I cannot read their minds.

>
>I regularly do the following:
>[Only one example.  There are many others.]
>
>* I have a TPad that has limited HD space.  So, I do not have packages
>such as SmartSuite for OS/2 installed on it.
>* I received a Word for Windoze document.  [Identified by the *.doc
>file name.]
>* Since I know that I cannot read these on the TPad, I simply forward
>the message to my desktop system where I do have SmartSuite installed.
>
>Do I try to open the attachment on the TPad?  NO!  There is absolutely
>NO REASON for me to attempt to open the file.  I KNOW it will FAIL.

This example has BOUNCE written all over it. Do you need to modify the
message? No! Are you sending it to someone else? No! "Forwarding" affords
you the opportunity to send information you have received to SOMEONE ELSE
who may benefit from the information and allows you to include your
comments on that information. Do you need to send comments to yourself on
what you received? For this example, I suggest BOUNCING it. I would. With
bounce there is no decode/encode of attachments. The message is resent
unchanged except the recipient address.

>
>So, are telling me that I should EXPECT to get whatever random file
>that might be left in the d:\...\PMMAIL\TEMP file because PMMail/2 is
>not smart enough to IGNORE what is on TEMP and just SEND WHAT IS
>ATTACHED TO THE MESSAGE that I am forwarding?!?!?!?

No. PMMail SHOULD decode the attachment or notify you of filename conflict
since this is the method the designers chose to "forward" a message.
PMMail SHOULD not CHANGE the information received.  Then again, I don't
expect you to "forward" a message to yourself either. If you know the
problem exists, choose not to use the work around methods I have offered
on this list then you should EXPECT to get different information ONLY IF a
file with the same name exists in the TEMP folder.

>
>Sorry, that is PURE GARBAGE!  It is poor design!  It is NOT the failure
>of any operator action.  If there were ever a violation of the "Rule of
>Least Astonishment" this is it!  And, I do not care WHAT the
>performance is on even the slowest and oldest PC.
>
>This problem must be fixed!  [And, as I promised Trevor, I will NOT
>suggest HOW.  I do not care how.  I just want it fixed!]

I think it is flawed implementation of a good design. On this we can agree
to disagree. If you repeatedly take the same action expecting a different
outcome, it is operator failure. Yes, this isolated circumstance should be
fixed. It doesn't require the convoluted suggestions offered on this list.
In the mean time, you have been given the tools to avoid it. The squeaky
wheel doesn't always get the oil. Sometimes it is thrown away.
--
JMO, 
/s/~Kris
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