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File Merge

Sometimes there's a very good reason you can't do the most obvious things on Apple's OS. This isn't one of them.


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The scandals surrounding Apple's arrogant attitude about their convoluted up the butt back-arsewards perspective on 'file management' never end. Over the years we've seen 'massive data loss' incidents and any number of assorted pains and woes befall unwitting users who just can't grasp Apple have a better approach to doing things.

No seasoned software engineer deserving of a salary would ever be able to explain it but surely Apple's renowned 'user experience engineers' [ahemm] have an answer close at hand. Suffice it to say: things will never change.

All the more frightening then when newcomers to the platform - Apple do want new users don't they or have they abandoned the computer side in favour of iPods and other gadgets - gawk at the extraordinary inability of their new system to do simple things any other self respecting system wouldn't hesitate at.

Here's the latest. A company such as Apple should have a clear answer to this. Ten years down the line and the responses are as conspicuous in their absence as the comforting promises that yes the OS will be capable of running on Windows.

From: Joe
Date: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:42:48 UTC

Hi there,

All I really need to ask is whether your app Xfile can merge two folders together in the same way I can on XP.

I have many old folders and CD-ROMs of data with similar folders. I would like to be able to copy them all to my HD and drag similar folders to the same location - on XP it allows me to do this and merges them together with all the newest files. Finder has never had this option and I have been searching for a utility that will allow me to do so.

Thanks,
:-Joe

Of course this can be done from the command line.

$ cp -iR <source>  <target>

But that's intensely lugubrious. After all: aren't Apple the company who deride use of command lines? [Or for that matter even their overhyped 'rock solid foundation'?]

And yet if there weren't a rock solid foundation built with ordinary sound engineering ideas the prospect for succeeding at this rather trivial file merge would be nonexistent.

See Also
Developers Workshop: Three Reasons 1/3
Developers Workshop: Three Reasons 2/3

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