2004-09-10 18:16:41

by Horst H. von Brand

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: silent semantic changes with reiser4

Hans Reiser <[email protected]> said:
> Timothy Miller wrote:

[...]

> > You know, if tools all need to be rewritten anyway to deal with the
> > file metadata "directory", then why not change the symbol that
> > delimits the metadata key?

> because it is useful that it is only a style convention. Changing the
> symbol makes it mandatory to distinguish metafiles from files.

If they are really different than directories, it should be clear what is
what, IMVHO. If they aren't different, they have no place here. Trying to
break hoary Unix tradition (files and directories are separate) while
pretending nothing has changed (see, a file can be handled just like a
directory) just doesn't cut it.
--
Dr. Horst H. von Brand User #22616 counter.li.org
Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431
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2004-09-10 23:55:46

by Timothy Miller

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: silent semantic changes with reiser4



Horst von Brand wrote:
> Hans Reiser <[email protected]> said:
>
>>Timothy Miller wrote:
>
>
> [...]
>
>
>>>You know, if tools all need to be rewritten anyway to deal with the
>>>file metadata "directory", then why not change the symbol that
>>>delimits the metadata key?
>
>
>>because it is useful that it is only a style convention. Changing the
>>symbol makes it mandatory to distinguish metafiles from files.
>
>
> If they are really different than directories, it should be clear what is
> what, IMVHO. If they aren't different, they have no place here. Trying to
> break hoary Unix tradition (files and directories are separate) while
> pretending nothing has changed (see, a file can be handled just like a
> directory) just doesn't cut it.


I think that sums up what I was trying to say better than what I said
did. :)