> dg50@daimlerchrysler.com writes:
>> 2) Move the special files that change system operation/configuration out
of
>> /proc (which really should be just for processes) into an /etc root
level
>> mountpoint, perhaps as /etc/dynamic or some such.
> Nope. There's nothing special about /proc-related stuff (as opposed to
> other configuration state in /etc). i.e., the *user* shouldn't need to
> care that `this stuff is managed directly by the kernel'.
Well... there is the thing that manipulation of the /proc stuff
_immediately_ changes the system, whereas that may not be the case with
other files.
As well, (and perhaps more importantly) changes made to the /proc items are
not persistant across reboots. If they get intermixed amongst the "real"
files, you have inconsistancy in interface.
> (The far end of this is something like a database-in-a-filesystem, with
> views instead of directories ;) )
Yeah... every time I follow this out to its logical conclusion, I wind up
with /etc (or /config, or whatever) as an LDAP directory, complete with
IDEF-defined schemae and so forth....
Bleah. Text files may be sub-optimal in certain cases, but they're *easy*.
> Good idea, in general. If compatibility were not an issue, I'd say go
> for it. (Unfortunately...)
Well, compatability _can_ be maintained, with symlinks. There's no reason
why the RedHats and the Debians of the world couldn't provide rpms,
tarballs, or debs of symlinks to maintain an "old sk00l UNIX" /etc
directory for them that wanted it.
In fact, my implementation plan is:
1) Define the new namespace
2) Create it via symlinks to /etc, /usr/lib and so forth
3) For each program/service that maintains a config file, submit a patch to
it that moves the config file into the new namespace, and reverse the
symlink.
4) Some happy day when /etc is all symlinks, declare victory and delete it.
:)
The whole task becomes doable if it gets sufficiant support.
Linus & Alan, have you been reading this? Comments?
DG
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