Problem using ftp
Theodore Kilgore
kilgota at banach.math.auburn.edu
Thu Aug 23 16:57:34 UTC 2012
Running MC, using Slackware-64-current package mc-4.8.1~86_64-1.
I wanted to do some updates yesterday evening, so I connected to
ftp.osuosl.org in the right panel of the mc display. I could move files
just fine, after highlighting them. But when I want to move an entire
directory (and its contents, of course), then something strange and
untoward happens:
For no apparent reason and with no instigation on my part, the display on
the right panel (at the remote site) _opens_ the directory _after_ the
copying has taken place. That is, the display for the remote site dives
down _into_ the directory _after_ it has been successfully copied. This is
not very nice, but something even worse happens after that. Namely, that
an attempt to cd back out of the directory takes one to the directory
above, and all the directories at the same level as the one copied have
disappeared. To explain better what I mean, here is an example:
Go to ftp.osuosl.org and go to the directory
pub/slackware/slackware64-current. Then put the highlighting on the
directory "patches" which is quite small and therefore good for testing
this. Hit F5 to copy it to the other panel. The copying is successful, but
then the display jumps into the directory and you see its contents, namely
/..
CHECKSUMS.md5 531May 18 2010
CHECKSUM~md5.asc 198May 18 2010
FILE_LIST 575May 18 2010
MANIFEST.bz2 14May 18 2010
PACKAGES.TXT 224May 18 2010
Well, as I said, that is not so bad, though frustrating. But then put the
highlight on top of /.. and you are supposed to be back at the previous
level. and you ought to see several other directories
/.. UP--DIRApr 27 2011
/extra 4096Aug 9 22:47
/isolinux 4096Aug 15 02:45
/kernels 68Aug 13 23:37
/pasture 117Jul 22 20:02
/patches 104May 18 2010
/slackware64 4096Aug 16 04:21
/source 4096Aug 16 04:23
/testing 132Mar 14 09:16
/usb-and-~tallers 114Aug 15 02:45
and some files. These directories and files are the files and the
subdirectories in the parent directory slackware64-current.
But what you see instead of this is that the parent directory is
slackware64-current (as was intended, but the contents of this parent
directory are listed instead of what is supposed to be there, as
/..
CHECKSUMS.md5 531May 18 2010
CHECKSUM~md5.asc 198May 18 2010
FILE_LIST 575May 18 2010
MANIFEST.bz2 14May 18 2010
PACKAGES.TXT 224May 18 2010
If one wishes to copy any other subdirectory of slackware64-current as the
next operation, the only thing to do is to kill the ftp connection and
reconnect. The quickest way to do this, of course, is to kill MC, then to
restart it, and then to reconnect. Other parts of the directory tree of
the remote site, once one climbs out of slackware64-current, are perfectly
OK for navigation. But that is no help if one was not interested in those
other parts of the directory tree of the remote site, of course. So as I
said in order to copy anything else from slackware64-current the only
thing which addresses the problem is to kill the connection and reconnect.
Thus, I would ask whether or not this situation is known, whether it is a
peculiar bug of the MC release which is in Slackware64-current and has
already been fixed, or what. In short, is this a current bug in MC, or is
some other party to blame for it?
Theodore Kilgore
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