-=> On 21 May 96  23:37:44 Jonathan de Boyne Pollard said to Tom Brown <=-

 > 2) I much prefer to use text mode .INI files for easier editing.

 JdBP> Oh yes ?  What about storing binary data ?  What about parsing
 JdBP> errors ? 

small amounts of binary convert to hex. Biger bits go in their own files, with
name in the .INI file. Parsing errors? At least you know what is wrong, and get some
clue as to hoa to fix it. With a binary file, the whole thing just barfs.

 JdBP> The reality is that binary INI files are generally considered to be
 JdBP> more robust that text format INI files.

By who? Not by me.

 JdBP> This is one of the rare instances where I find myself in the
 JdBP> unfortunate position of agreeing with Microsoft.  Microsoft's
 JdBP> decision to make their "registry" use a private binary
format rather
 JdBP> than a text format was motivated by the desire to prevent users
 JdBP> screwing up INI files by using text editors on them.

But MS are dealing with Windows users. We are talking OS/2 users here :-)
It stops us from fixing our .INI files.

 JdBP> OS/2's binary INI files also have this advantage.  Windows echoes
 JdBP> are full of people who have hand-mangled their INI files, and
 JdBP> suddenly find themselves without fonts, without printers, or with a
 JdBP> completely non-functional Windows system because they've removed the
 JdBP> wrong VxD line.  You don't see any equivalent messages in OS/2
 JdBP> echoes. 

No they just have to completely re-install, using an install program that 
is so dumb it spends ages copying new copies of files over identical old ones
instead of asking before skipping the files which have same date and length.

 JdBP> For the benefit of developers, there do exist several small OS/2 INI
 JdBP> editing utilities.  

And you really expect to find these on other peple's machines when they
ask for help when the system won't boot.

I would say binary .INI files are the root cause of  people rejecting
OS/2 after of repeated reinstall problems. Sniffers which don't ask before
sniffing come a close second though. People writing that kind of thing
need to be put on a chage of 'crimes against humanity'.

Andrew  
... Don't believe in superstition - it brings bad luck.
--- Blue Wave/Max v2.12 OS/2 [NR]