[OpenWrt-Users] under what circumstances will mini_fo create a "new" file?

[Robert P. J. Day]

  after playing with openwrt's mini_fo filesystem for a while, i'm
puzzled by its behaviour.  as an experiment, i tested what it would
take for mini_fo to create a "copy" of a file under /jffs.  obviously,
modifying a file in any way would require that.  but i also tested
several commands that just *examined* the file, and here are the
results of which commands would create a copy of a file:

  cat		no
  less		no
  ls -l		no
  touch		no
  vi -R		no
  vi		yes (??)

  i'm puzzled by that last one since all i did was open a file with
vi, then immediately close it without making any changes.  but it
*reliably* would make a copy under /jffs every time.  why?  i haven't
changed the file in any way.  what is it about invoking vi on a file
that requires mini_fo to copy it?  i just don't see the rationale
there.  thanks.

rday
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Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
    Have classroom, will lecture.

http://crashcourse.ca                          Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
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