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Message: [QUOTE="Anno Siegel, post: 4748892"] Right, on some systems require this, including mainstream ones (solaris). That requirement is short-sighted design, imho. It assumes that a file lock always protects exactly the file it is locking. Our example shows that other kinds of locking occur where the requirement makes no sense. To be portable, yes. It also means you have to *find* the binary first to open it for writing, not something you want to do if you don't have to. Right. Locking DATA exclusively won't work everywhere. This discussion illustrates a general principle. In programming as in other crafts, it is often tempting to use something you "happen to have around" for some other purpose. Like you have a box to mount on the wall, and you find a bolt sticking out that holds a box on the other side. "Let's use that!" Think twice before you do it. It *may* be a good idea, but you create dependencies that wouldn't be there without it. Anno [/QUOTE]