I think we have to either:
1) Link only to the file and not the directory in the file-directory duality. This means we change the semantics of hard link so that it only links to the data and the standard metadata, and the optional attributes/streams/files-in-directory are not seen by the second link. You can think of this as meaning that hard links only connect to the file and not the directory in the file-directory wave-particle duality
or, 2) we should ask Alexander Smith to help with applying the graph traversal cycle detection code that he wrote.
I can go either way contentedly for now. 2) is the right long term solution. 1) is probably the right short term solution.
Ok, Linus and Viro, now I see why it was hard. Being able to effectively connect to compound documents only with symlinks is a bit distasteful, but it is quite livable, and I very much hope you decide it is better than fragmenting the namespace.
Hans
