Re: [gedit-list] Size of window changes on save

[Doug McNutt <douglist macnauchtan com>]

At 17:03 +0200 4/30/14, August Karlstrom wrote:
> If I open a document in Gedit, resize the window to its minimum width, edit the document and then save it 
> the width of the window increases.
>
> I use Gedit 3.10.4 in Lubuntu 14.04. The bug is reported at
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gedit/+bug/1301312
>
> but it needs confirmation from someone not using Unity (where it cannot be reproduced).

Modern text editors all seem to have problems like that.

One of the best things Apple ever did was to create a file system that supports "resource forks" that were 
able to carry information as a part of a file while leaving the data fork to be usable as a source of 
information for a variety of applications without regard to the niceties of editing.  OS neXt has repaired 
that  "fault" and resource forks no longer exist.

Things like window size, as you mentioned, but also text font and size, tab settings, characters that 
comprise a word for double clicking, rules for word wrapping, and I could easily go on, stored easily in the 
resource fork.

Now a text editor is required to save that kind of information for its own use in a separate file probably 
located in a hidden directory. Change the file name or make a copy and everything gets lost. It's wise to 
delete those, without a better name, resource files when they are not used over a period of time.  Without 
some details on the exact way that gedit tries to do it, or doesn't do it, there will always be less than 
satisfied users.  Perhaps a file extension like *.TOC in a Eudora mailbox file would be helpful.

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