[wellylug] wellylug Digest, Vol 48, Issue 2

[Bret Comstock Waldow]

wellylug-request at lists.wellylug.org.nz wrote:
> While copying files to my web server I received a message saying
> "omitting directory". Maybe I got the command wrong, but the
> implication here could be other than I expected. Before proceeding,
> would you care to comment please?
What the heck - everybody else is piling on...

Please include the actual command line for questions like this.  Yes, in
this case we can guess, and are very likely to be correct, but:

    1) That's not always so obvious.  We might be wrong (hey, it could
happen).

    2) Wouldn't it be really interesting to catch the odd event that
DOESN'T match our expectations?  I'd hate to miss that - after all, all
of quantum mechanics came out of an episode like that.

    3) You might ALSO be trying something else at the same time that
would attract useful comment or warning.

    4) Providing complete answers (including the actual question) is
kinder to future generations of computer nerds who will access the
indexed mailing list after us through the search engines.

This is not directed at the original poster only, but everyone who
hasn't deleted this reply yet.

It does always surprise me when people are slapdash about something
(computers executing programs) that is just about the only actually
black-and-white experience any of us will ever have (although it's 1s &
0s in this case) - and expect not to have problems.

Computers running programs are never uncertain about what is happening -
they carry out the next instruction.  All problems are ours - usually
because we haven't bothered to know what we are talking (coding) about -
because we think we know, which isn't the same as knowing.

Cheers,
Bret