david parsons (orc@pell.portland.or.us) wrote:
: Theodore Y. Ts'o wrote:
: > This idea that /dev should be a "database" is not a traditional Unix
: > view,
: I disagree, but I've only been using Unix for 22 years.
Well, I've only been doing it for 13 years, but...
Traditionally, Unix has had entries in /dev for devices that don't exist
on your system (eg for disks or tapes that you don't have, or where some
admin - and we've all done it! - has mis-typed the tape device and created
a 30Mb file in /dev) and may potentially be missing entries for hardware you
do have (eg hardware just added, needing a MAKEDEV, or older unused hardware
that you can't be bothered to make entries for).
Under no circumstance can /dev have historically be considered as
representative of devices on your system. It has merely been a central
access point to the devices. As such, it's not a database.
--
Stephen Harris
sweh@spuddy.mew.co.uk http://www.spuddy.org/
The truth is the truth, and opinion just opinion. But what is what?
My employer pays to ignore my opinions; you get to do it for free.
* Meeeeow ! Call Spud the Cat on > 01708 442043 < for free Usenet access *
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