Indeed. The "/dev/ptmx", allocpt(), unlockpt(), grantpt() stuff appeared in
SVR4.
*Every* SVR4-derived Unix, and others which have aligned with SVR4 supports
this. Scott mentions Solaris. ICLs DRS/NX, SCO Unixware, Sequents Dynix/ptx,
and the SVR4 derivative that NCR ship all use this method to allocate ptys.
Far from it being 'not entrenched enough to be worth it', it is by far and
away the most common method of pty allocation. That is almost certainly why
it was chosen for the Unix'98 standard.
Anybody considering doing things differently had better have *extremely*
good reasons for making every developers life that much more difficult by
introducing yet another way of doing something when there is already a
perfectly adequate method in existence.
As Scott says, a much more important job is to make the actual device
allocation in the kernel dynamic, and to get on with making kdev_t large
enough to avoid having to play games when supporting >256 "units" for a
given device major==driver.
t
-- Tim Wright | Aracnet -- Portland's loudest electrons timw@aracnet.com OR | Ring +1 503 626.6873 V.34 (28800) 24hrs timw@sequent.com | Browse http://www.aracnet.com for info! "Nobody ever said I was charming, they said "Rimmer, you're a git!"" RD VI
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