Re: [linux-usb] Re: USB device allocation

Miquel van Smoorenburg (miquels@cistron.nl)
9 Oct 1999 12:14:39 +0200


In article <cistron.Pine.LNX.3.95.991008155428.5043A-100000@chaos.analogic.com>,
Richard B. Johnson <root@chaos.analogic.com> wrote:
>Historical buffs may remember that the file-system on the famous
>"green-machine" (MDS-200), circa 1967, consisted of 'directory' entries
>that contained only numbers. A directory program translated these numbers
>into strings in a "container file". (No M$ didn't invent the container
>file). Even then, it was understood that strings didn't belong within
>an operating system.

Ever looked at plan9? It's supposed to be what Unix was meant to be,
by the original Unix designers. They threw most of the magic constants
overboard and in fact _use strings_ everywhere (for devices, ioctls,
and signals!). They also greatly extended the "everything is a file"
paradigm, and procfs, devfs, shmfs, etc are an integral part of the OS.

There people designed Unix. I assume they are pretty smart.

Mike.

-- 
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

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