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Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 16:55:59 -0800
To: "'linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org'" <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
From: Jonathan Lundell <jlundell@pobox.com>
Subject: RE: Yet another design for /proc. Or actually /kernel.
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At 3:13 PM -0600 11/7/01, Brenneke, Matthew Jeffrey (UMR-Student) wrote:
>  >> - Multiple values per file when needed
>>>	A file is a two dimensional array: it has lines and every line
>>>	can consist of multiple fields.
>>>	A good example of this is the current /proc/mounts.
>>>	This can be parsed very easily in all languages.
>>>	No need for single-value files, that's oversimplification.
>>>
>
>>Actually, /proc/mounts is currently broken, and is an excellent
>>example of why the above statement simply isn't true unless you apply
>>another level of indirection: try mounting something on a directory
>>the name of which contains whitespace in any form (remember, depending
>>on your setup this may be doable by an unprivileged user...)

If [tag plus] multiple values are allowed on a line, the field 
separation needs to be unambiguous. So quoting/escaping is required 
in some cases. Spaces are common enough in a value that white space 
maybe doesn't make a very good field separator.

Or just quote all strings (and escape quotes). Interpret values as C 
would, 0x for hex, "... for strings, and so on for floating point, 
octal, &c. Heck, you could even have typing (3UL) or casts, though 
that's probably going too far.
-- 
/Jonathan Lundell.
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