Glenn Fowler <gsf at research.att.com> wrote:
> > XATTRs do not belong in the same namespace as filenames and what Reiser4
> > does
> > is just a result of the limited Linux development model. Note that you may
> > _add_ anything to Linux but you will not be able to force all other
> > programmers to modify their code in order to allow a better and more
> > orthogonal
> > behavior. For this reason, every implementor tries to find a way to
> > implement all
> > features in his own project. This development model sucks....
>
> so J?rg
> I'm confused with your response
>
> the whole point of adding extensions like XATTR to the filename space is that
> it
> would force reprogramming only inside the system call implementations -- no
> user
> level reprogramming would be required
I do not understand your response.
Adding XATTR support outside the "normal" namespace does not cause a need to
change user level applications to be changed except when they for some reason
need to actively support XATTRs.
If you implement XATTRs that live in thwe standard namespace, you need to
change more applications.
> the alternative of adding parallel universe system calls for each XATTR-like
> extension would force every user level application to reprogram to each
> XATTR-like extension, ultimately ending up with, at minimum,
> #syscalls * #extensions calls, and that doesn't address the issue of
> interactions
> between extensions
As you seem to believe the oposite than what I believe is trus, could you please
explain your background and why you believe so?
> what reprogramming does "force all other programmers to modify their code"
> refer to
> w.r.t. putting extensions in the filename space?
If you include XATTRs in the standard name space, you need to change find and
similar programs. If you follow the ideas of Reiser4, you even need to change
non-XATTR aware shells.
If you keep XATTRs in a separate name space, you only need to change XATTR
aware shells.
> (I'll condede that under either method backup/copy utilities might want to
> provide
> options to control how extensions are to be handled)
This are XATTR aware programs which need to be changed anyway.
J?rg
--
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