Do the arguments for extended attributes stem from a desire to store info for backups/HSM and for version control systems?
Icons are the responsibility of the desktop manager. Faces are stored in their own "database" on plan9. We don't have resource forks - the window managers (rio and acme) keep all the widgets need to display any plan9 program internally (some colours, textures, cursors, menuhit tables). Perhaps the reason plan9 doesn't see the need for extended attributes is the same as the reason it doesn't need backup systems, HSM, and version control software - has fossil and venti (or kenfs depending on your taste) solved this problem for us? Maybe there are other examples of where extended attributes are really useful? I'am not trolling, I just don't see their efficacy in plan9. -Steve
