How to avoid "dotfiles" in shared Windows volumes?

apg · 01-31-2002, 10:13 AM

Apologies if this has been discussed before.

I went through all the trouble to get connected to a Windows NT network via smb at work, and then noticed that I was leaving .DS_Store and .Trashses files in my wake all over the shared volume. This is not IMHO playing nice with others.

I understand that these files store view and trash preferences, and are invisible in OS X, but not to Windows machines.

Does anyone know if it is possible to prevent OS X from writing these files in the first place on shared volume? Has anyone written a script to remove these files, for example, on logout from the shared volume?

Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

mervTormel · 01-31-2002, 12:36 PM

yeesh. that is, indeed, not playing nice. i am agape.

do you mean to tell me that anywhere you navigate in a share, OSX sprinkles these little love nuggets?

i don't even like them on OSX, but i understand they are an integral part of the system design. but the design fell down & went boom here.

that said, i think it specious to think about a script that could adequately clean up this mess on logout. how would it know where you've been? could it be trusted to remove the right files? scanning the entire share for these files is unsound.

and what happens if somewhere on that share you visit, there are already valid files of the same name, but not for OSX's intended use? tho unlikely, a system shouldn't assume these things.

i repeat, yeesh. apple needs to address this, no? comments?

01-31-2002, 10:13 AM	#1
apg Prospect Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1	How to avoid "dotfiles" in shared Windows volumes? Apologies if this has been discussed before. I went through all the trouble to get connected to a Windows NT network via smb at work, and then noticed that I was leaving .DS_Store and .Trashses files in my wake all over the shared volume. This is not IMHO playing nice with others. I understand that these files store view and trash preferences, and are invisible in OS X, but not to Windows machines. Does anyone know if it is possible to prevent OS X from writing these files in the first place on shared volume? Has anyone written a script to remove these files, for example, on logout from the shared volume? Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

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01-31-2002, 12:36 PM	#2
mervTormel League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,536	yeesh. that is, indeed, not playing nice. i am agape. do you mean to tell me that anywhere you navigate in a share, OSX sprinkles these little love nuggets? i don't even like them on OSX, but i understand they are an integral part of the system design. but the design fell down & went boom here. that said, i think it specious to think about a script that could adequately clean up this mess on logout. how would it know where you've been? could it be trusted to remove the right files? scanning the entire share for these files is unsound. and what happens if somewhere on that share you visit, there are already valid files of the same name, but not for OSX's intended use? tho unlikely, a system shouldn't assume these things. i repeat, yeesh. apple needs to address this, no? comments?