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Securit-Edesk
Index
Securit-Edesk blends properties from 3 normally
disparate kinds of programs:
- file managers (like TkDesk on Linux, or File
Explorer on Windows),
- ftp file transfer servers and clients,
- if run inside an E environment (which embodies
strong encryption) rather than inside a Daff-E
(the unencrypted American version legal for
export) environment, Edesk has features akin
to ssh secure connection servers and clients.
- (Note: though Edesk features are ftp-like
and ssh-like, Edesk does not actually use
those specific protocols).
What all this means is, Edesk run inside
E allows you to connect securely to multiple
remote file systems with a point-and-click
windowing interface, and do traditional file
management such as rename, delete, and copy
files, across all of them, with reasonable
window performance efficiency even over a
telephone line and the Internet.
Fairly special features of Edesk include:
- "Smart" routing for copying files:
if the remote file systems can establish
direct communication, the windowing system
merely introduces the two systems, explains
what is needed, and then the copying operations
proceed even if the windowing system shuts
down; on the other hand, if the file systems
cannot connect directly, the windowing system
acts as a forwarder for the copying process.
- Smart decisions about copying over existing
files: using hashing techniques, it determines
before sending the file whether the files
are exact copies.
- Smart restart of interrupted file transfers:
if part of a file was transferred earlier,
transferring it a second time picks up where
the previous transfer left off.
- A simple yet effective file permissions systems
allows the creation of Edesk file servers
that control what remote users can see and
what they can edit.
- The mini-text-editor acts on remote files:
pressing the Save button after editing saves
the file to the remote storage system.
To get Securit-Edesk as an executable source file
that can be run directly on E or DaffE, go
here.
Securit-Edesk is covered by the Mozilla 1.1
Public License without the Netscape-specific amendments.
To see the exact text of the Securit-Edesk
license go here.
This is a list of bugs, issues, fixes and
enhancements that may someday be dealt with
in Edesk.
Priority 1:
- On Linux 2.036, using the 1.1.7 jvm from
blackdown, the gui version of Edesk sometimes
eventually slows down and crashes with an
Out Of Memory error, apparently because of
a bug in the blackdown 1.1.7 implementation
of AWT. Edesk file servers under Linux work
fine.
Priority 3:
- cut/copy/paste on menus always enabled
- CopyBuffer state is invisible
- overwrite policy, overwrite only if newer
- clear selection in dir panel when selecting
in file panel and vice versa
- file transfer can fill all of memory in
sending machine with buffered bytes if
connection
slow. Problem mostly resolved, it now only
exists with copying large directories:
100
simultaneous file copies could grab 5MB
of
RAM, not too terrible.
- Up button should have name of parent dir
- If a paste is started, and the paste is
between unconnected machines, so the gui
is the intermediary, and a rename is started,
and the dialog is left up, the paste operation
is blocked.
- Open 2 windows on a dir. delete a file in
one, rename that same file in the other.
death?
- menubar not button for file, dir menus
- eDialogs should come to top if their parents'
get focus
- Put name of current directory in label right
above the subdir list
- eliminate modal dialog for copying files
- automated config file construction/editing
- "Find" button for mini-editor
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