A method, apparatus and article of manufacture, implementing the method, processes an error when a write fails in an application that has been ported from a first platform to a second platform. The second platform has a write-to-operator-with-reply call that is not available in the first operating system. The application issues a file write. The application receives an out-of-space error in response to the file write. The application issues a write-to-operator-with-reply call to send a message indicating the out-of-space error to a console.