Re: FTS-5005
  By: Michiel van der Vlist to Rob Swindell on Tue Sep 08 2015 09:26 pm

 >  RS> On the document's contents, I noticed something that glared at me and
 >  RS> I thought I should share in hopes it may (if you agree) be changed in
 >  RS> a future rev: *.?ut (i.e. .out, .cut, .hut, .dut) files are FTN
 >  RS> packets, not flow files. The contents of these files conform with the
 >  RS> "Packet Header" and "Packed Message" definitions in FTS-1.
 >
 > True. As far as content is concerned they are packets.
 >
 >  RS> file *name* may be BSO/FLO specific,
 >
 > Exactly. And that is what distinguishes them from an ordinary .pkt.

 Changing a filename does not change what the file is. They are just
ordinary packets.

 >  RS> "Flow files" are the *.?lo files used to direct a BSO mailers outbound
 >  RS> activity which are plain text files and held in contrast to packets,
 >  RS> which are binary.
 >
 > Yes, the *.?lo files are text files as far as content is concerned.
 >
 >  RS> If you need references, see the BinkleyTerm docs (e.g. BT-USER.TXT,
 >  RS> BT-REF.TXT) which clearly differentiate between "packets" and "flow
 >  RS> files". They're not synonymous.
 >
 > As you can see at the end of the document, the Binkleyterm manual is in the
 > reference list. So the document was considered for input. The FTSC however
 > choose to not follow the file classification of the author of BinkleyTerm,
 > that
 > is based on content. Instead she choose to classify based on /function/.
 >
 > Both the *.?lo files and the *.?ut files direct a BSO mailer's outbound
 > activity. This common factor has led the FTSC to categorize them both as
 > flow  files. This seemed a logical choice.
 >
 > And then: what's in a name?

Well it confused *me* when I was reading it and while that is only a sample
size of one, I do consider myself to be a member of the target audience and I'm
not unfamiliar with the subject. I don't think changing the definition of
long-standing terms (i.e. "flow files") is a good idea. Just this reader's
opinion.
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