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<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Start a new Erlang shell under Windows, and
run<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>1> file:read_file_info("c:/").<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>{ok,{file_info,0,directory,read_write,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{0,0,1},{65165,1,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
16895,1,3,0,0,0,0}}<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Note the garbage creation date. A second
call yielded<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>2> file:read_file_info("c:/").<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>{ok,{file_info,0,directory,read_write,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{0,0,0},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
16895,1,3,0,0,0,0}}<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>What creation date you see in a newly
started shell varies. In general, other calls of read_file_info can side-effect
the creation date returned for C:/. On my machine,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>14>
file:read_file_info("c:/Users/John
Hughes/Desktop"),file:read_file_info("c:/").<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>{ok,{file_info,0,directory,read_write,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{1980,1,1},{0,0,0}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
{{22,41,2007},{5,29,9}},<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>
16895,1,3,0,0,0,0}}<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>produces the same garbage creation time
consistently, after the first time it is called.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>I have tested this with R11B-5 under XP, and
R12B-0 and R12B-1 under Vista—the behavior is similar under all three.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>John Hughes<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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