Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!mimsy!chris From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: //host vs "mount point" Message-ID: <9559@mimsy.UUCP> Date: Sun, 29-Nov-87 08:59:32 EST Article-I.D.: mimsy.9559 Posted: Sun Nov 29 08:59:32 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 1-Dec-87 06:05:30 EST References: <648@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <1668@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <38c15248.4580@hi-csc.UUCP> Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742 Lines: 50 Not having to mount remote machines is certainly a convenience; and given that I have never had several thousand machines all cross-mounted, I will (for the sake of argument at least) take the word of the Apollo folks that it is virtually a necessity. Let us assume that this is so. Yet I still claim that `//host' is a bad syntax. Why? Because it adds yet another special case (doubling the number of special cases!), embedding still more semantics in filename strings themselves (as opposed to the files reached by the strings). I think that this is bad. If you must use a special string, consider instead `/n'. You can still have the kernel recognise this `by magic', but now it looks like an ordinary directory. As a `for instance', if // is to be consistent (or if /n is to be consistent), one should be able to say cd //; cd host or cd /n; cd host and get the same effect as cd //host or cd /n/host There are several possible implementations for /n (one being `special magic string', another being file system switches or virtual file systems). The telling point, though, is that /n/host/somewhere `looks like' an ordinary file name, and that if for some reason everyone decided that the name `/n' is wrong and that it should be `/vogon' instead, well, no problem: /vogon/host/somewhere It still looks just like an ordinary file name. There is (from an external viewpoint, at any rate) no magic attached to a special part of that file name. (Oh all right, not as *much* magic.) Whether you wish to implement `ls /n' is another matter entirely, but this seems somehow more reasonable if your network switch point is `just another directory'. -- In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690) Domain: chris@mimsy.umd.edu Path: uunet!mimsy!chris