[Starkit] corruption of starkits by double access

[Jean-Claude Wippler]

On Feb 27, 2006, at 13:30, Steve Blinkhorn wrote:

>>> A lockfile opened in exclusive mode. [...]

> Lockfiles sound nice and simple, but if, for some reason, an
> application crashes and the lockfile is left in place you have created
> a user support problem.

Wait.  A lockfile opened in *exclusive* mode.  When closed, also on a  
crash (even on Windows I assume), the exclusivity is cancelled.  So  
yes, there would be a lingering empty file, but no it would not be a  
support problem in the sense that it does not need to be removed to  
properly handle the next lock request.

> One thing I *thought* might be raised would be the limitation of
> Metakit files to only one client for writing.   I half-expected
> someone to point to a non-fatal error that might be raised if a second
> client attempted to write to it, [...]

There is no error.  A second writer will ruthlessly damage the file,  
just as would happen with non-MK files.  The damage does not happen  
on open but on commit, BTW - so as long as you do no commit actual  
changes (and are effectively not a writer), nothing bad happens.

-jcw