Re: httpfs (Was: Re: A few questions.....)

Matthew Kirkwood (weejock@ferret.lmh.ox.ac.uk)
Thu, 24 Jun 1999 20:21:52 +0100 (GMT)


On Thu, 24 Jun 1999, Jan Jirmasek wrote:

> I'm asking the other fs-developers: Is there any other current project
> of httpfs, ftpfs like filesystems right now, which would implement
> these filesystems inside kernel?
>
> I'm curious how would someone implement inside kernel things like
> gethostbyname(), etc. or using the TCP.

I doubt that anyone in their right mind would even try putting
that sort of stuff in the kernel.

> Yes. I can see a sense in using such filesystems like httpfs.

I can't. They offer none of the usual filesystem semantics,
incompatible permissions models.

Windows/MS Office offers a similar sort of functionality at the
shell/interface level, and it works OK[0].

People who want things like httpfs seem to be forgetting that
the Unix shell/libc/syscall interface is a low-level one, much
like c is a low-level language. The way I see it, people who
want resource forks, funny filesystems, &c[1]. for application
usage would be better served by an additional layer insulating
them from libc/Posix interfaces.

Matthew.

[0] Obvious disclaimer here
[1] Maybe even devfs :)

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