[Info-vax] Unexpected error using ZIP for OpenVMS

[AEF]

On Dec 19, 12:39 am, Steven Schweda <sms.antin... at gmail.com> wrote:
> > In the "expected" case, something that is assumed to be there, and
> > needs to be there, wasn't. So you were expecting this?
>
>    Huh?  In the "expected" case, the program complains about
> an error made by the user.  In my case, providing an invalid
> input file specification.

So this is an "expected error." If the error is expected, than the
program was expecting it. Therefore, the program was expecting the
user to make this error. And that means there can be only one expected
error. Any other error, or lack of error, would be unexpected.

Sorry, this is what it sounds like to me. Maybe it's the "Mr. Spock"
in me. Or perhaps we are using very different dictionaries.

 In the "unexpected" case, the
> program can't read a perfectly good file, apparently because
> of a problem in the program (or a shortcoming in the C
> run-time I/O system).  I expect the program to complain when
> the user makes a mistake like that.  I don't expect it to
> complain about being unable to read a valid input file.

But the code *can't* read it. Shouldn't the code tell you it can't
read it and say why? And if it does, which it did, what makes it
unexpected? Isn't this really an "unexpected bug"? And if so, who
cares?

I would not only expect, but hope, that the code would complain it
couldn't read the file and tell me why.

What should the code do when it can't read a valid file? How would it
know?

Would you prefer that the code display the following?

    %ZIP-F-UNEXCPERR, unexpected error

Not very informative, I'm afraid. And again, how would it know?

Maybe they teach this in computer science classes. I trained to be a
physicist.

[...]

AEF