*BSD News Article 64144


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From: jlemon@netcom.com (Jonathan Lemon)
Subject: Re: Ideal filesystem
Message-ID: <jlemonDoqBq5.1Bx@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <4hptj4$cf4@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> <3140C968.20699696@netcom.com> <4istou$ri9@floyd.sw.oz.au> <4j0bmo$ftv@park.uvsc.edu>
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 1996 16:42:04 GMT
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Sender: jlemon@netcom22.netcom.com
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.system:19913 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:15908

In article <4j0bmo$ftv@park.uvsc.edu>,
Terry Lambert  <terry@lambert.org> wrote:
>jeremy@suede.sw.oz.au (Jeremy Fitzhardinge) wrote:
>] In article <3150DCF5.FB40BBD@netcom.com>,
>] 	Adam Megacz <kalessin@netcom.com> writes:
>
>[ ... ]
>
>] >Nah. Actually I'm considering a previous posting about eliminating the
>] >difference between files and directories - and making all files
>] >directories that can be read as streams. This kinda fits the UNIX
>] >mindset better.
>] 
>] Absolutely.  Is there any reason an "EA" can't have "EAs" itself?
>] Any reason an "EA" can't be a directory?
>
>shell command hashing requiring massive iteration of each directory
>for "binary" or "image" or whatever springs lithely to mind...

Hm.  Shells just look at the inode to see if the file is executable,
in order to add it to the hash list.  So what if there's some (unspecified)
bit or combination of bits in the inode that indicates this directory
is an "executable bundle"?  Then the search stops there.  When 'executed',
the system runs "(directory_name)/a.out" or even "(directory_name)/a.out.arch".

Of course, this glosses over a whole lot. (I believe this is termed an
understatment).  But I don't think shell hashing is a valid objection,
Terry.  Try another one.
--
Jonathan