From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!Michael.Young.CMU-CS-A@SRI-UNIX
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Title: Re: protecting kmem because someone felt obnoxious.
Article-I.D.: sri-unix.5224
Posted: Mon Feb 28 03:26:02 1983
Received: Tue Mar  1 07:15:01 1983

From: Michael Wayne Young 
Date: 31 December 1982 0449-EST (Friday)
I agree with yor suggestion for a 'table' call... I'd even
be in favour of one that lets root processes write entries,
somewhat like a POKE.   [In fact, this whole idea reminds
me of the TOPS-10 GETTAB and POKE calls.  There youu use
GETTAB to get a particular table entry, and POKE to
change one (with the restriction that you specify before and after
contents of a POKEd word, so you don't goof up, or nothing else
POKEs in between).]  I really prefer this kind of controlled
(in comparison to looking up in a namelist) access to kernel
structures for things like re-nicing, and various other fiddling
(such as the "su" controversy discussed here long ago).  Plus,
it might make a 'ps'-like program almost readable (the code, that is).
Access to the kernel via /dev/whatever is really a pretty silly
idea the way it's used now.

			Michael