Re: Errors in man pages, here: st(4): Content

["\"Kai Mäkisara (Kolumbus)\"" <kai.makisara@kolumbus.fi>]

> On 20. Apr 2020, at 21.29, Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) <mtk.manpages@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello Kai,
> 
> On Mon, 20 Apr 2020 at 17:51, "Kai Mäkisara (Kolumbus)"
> <kai.makisara@kolumbus.fi> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 20. Apr 2020, at 11.13, Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) <mtk.manpages@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> [CC += Kai]
>>> 
>>> (Kai, I got a pile of queries from a downstream translation project)
>>> 
>>> On 4/19/20 8:48 AM, Helge Kreutzmann wrote:
>>>> Dear manpages maintainers.
>>>> 
>> ...
>>>> We cannot understand the last sentence. What is "forward spacing"?
>>>> 
>>>> "This option causes the B<MTEOM> operation to be sent directly to the drive, "
>>>> "potentially speeding up the operation but causing the driver to lose track "
>>>> "of the current file number normally returned by the B<MTIOCGET> request.  If "
>>>> "B<MT_ST_FAST_EOM> is false, the driver will respond to an B<MTEOM> request "
>>>> "by forward spacing over files."
>>> 
>>> Perhaps Kai can help. I do not have a good explanation.
>>> 
>> Spacing in tape terminology means going to the next file (or record or set mark).
>> The drives usually support a command to go to the end of the tape. The
>> drawback is that no information is obtained about the number of files skipped.
>> If the driver spaces forward over files one by one, it can count how many
>> files have been skipped.
>> 
>> This is the technical description. But the text also says what is the consequence
>> for a user that does not care about technology. Spacing is mentions also
>> earlier in the text.
> 
> So, no text changes needed here, right?
> 
I don’t think changes are needed. But the discussion in my other answer applies
also here.

Thanks,
Kai