File links and Nautilus CD-Writer

[Kent Frazier]

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 04:32:44 +0200, Ari Torhamo <ari.torhamo at luukku.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I accidentally noticed that when you add a file link to Nautilus
> CD-Writer window, it's not the link that gets burned into the disk, but
> the original file. Is this how it always works? I experimented a little
> with this and it seems to be so, but bacause I might use this to back up
> my files, I would like to know for sure (maybe it depends on something).
> To my remembering in Windoze (Nero) it's only the link that gets
> written.
> 
> Yes, I know, there propably are much better tools for backing up your
> data than Nautilus CD-burner, but right now I need something without a
> learning curve :-)
> 
> I wonder if anybody is going to awnser me at this time of the night.
> Maybe someone on the other side of the earth - it's four o'clock in the
> afternoon there. Wonder what country is in opposite to Finland on the
> earth? I wish I had a globe. Australia maybe - hello! Anyone? Or is it
> New Zeland - calling Wellington! ...China?  :-)
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ari

The difference between Windows links and Linux links is pretty
significant.  In Windows, a shortcut is simply a tiny file that points
to the real file.  These files get written by the CD-burning
application, but not the file they are pointing to.  In Linux, there
are two types of links that I am familiar with, hard and symbolic. 
Hard links are treated as if they were the original file.  If you
delete a hard link, it will delete the original file as well. 
Symbolic links, which are the most common, work similarly to Windows
shortcuts, but not exactly the same.  They are much more powerful.  I
think some apps let you choose whether to write the links or to write
the files they refer to.  I am not sure about Nautilus burner, but it
seems as if this behavior would likely stay consistent, so you should
be able to use it to backup.

As for the time, it is 9 PM here in the central United States
(Louisiana to be specific).

Good night.

Kent