On Thu, Dec 30, 1999 at 01:10:51PM -0900, George A. Dowding wrote: > * Obligatory Random Idea: > > Has anyone taken a look at Plan 9/Inferno. They have made some > interesting design decisions. One of the most interesting is to > elevate the concept of files. Not only are all physical devices files > (like Unix), but running programs can be treated as files. An example > given was a name server. To get the information a process would write > the request to the name server file. Reading that same file after the > request would provide the address information. Apperently the idea > was to limit the type of operations that processes had to provide to > basic file reads and writes. > > To make a shell metaphor: > > $echo gnu.hurd.org > /system/nameserver > $cat /system/nameserver > > Name: www.gnu.org > Address: 198.186.203.18 > Aliases: hurd.gnu.org
Well, that's exactly what a Hurd translator can do. however, in the above example, you have to keep the device open or you'd get problems in a multi-tasking, multi-user system. Well, if you feel a nameserver translator and similar would be useful, go and write one for the Hurd! Thanks, Marcus -- `Rhubarb is no Egyptian god.' Debian http://www.debian.org Check Key server Marcus Brinkmann GNU http://www.gnu.org for public PGP Key [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] PGP Key ID 36E7CD09 http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Marcus.Brinkmann/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]
