[fitsbits] Abuse of EXTEND keyword

[William Thompson]

William Pence wrote:
> This mention of the NEXTEND keyword caused me to rethink what is really 
> meant by EXTEND = F:  EXTEND = T is defined to mean that the FITS file 
> *is permitted* to have extensions following the primary array (the 
> actually wording in the Standard is "may contain extensions" ); it does 
> not mean that the file actually has any extensions.
> 
> If EXTEND = F, then this logically means the opposite, i.e., that the 
> FITS file is *not permitted* to have any extensions.  But this is not 
> the meaning that the STEREO mission folks really intended by setting 
> EXTEND = F since they surely don't care if users were to add extensions 
> to the files at a later date.

We don't expect users to add extensions on their own.

Personally, I have no objection to deprecating the EXTEND keyword.  The current 
definition isn't particularly meaningful.

Bill Thompson


-- 
William Thompson
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Code 671
Greenbelt, MD  20771
USA

301-286-2040
William.T.Thompson.1 at gsfc.nasa.gov