>I'm trying to help RMS fix a problem with Linux and recent test
>releases of GNU Emacs. When the user edits a file FOO, Emacs 20.3.10
>creates a symbolic link from .#FOO to USER@HOSTNAME:PID:BOOTID, where
>BOOTID is a unique identifier for this reboot of the kernel. This
>symlink lets Emacs determine whether someone else is editing this
>file. The symlink is stale if BOOTID does not correspond to last time
>that the kernel was rebooted. (Emacs doesn't rely on lockf or its
>relatives to create advisory locks on files; I believe that this is
>because they aren't portable and reliable enough with networked file
>systems.)
I don't understand why this method works; two users may well be logged onto
the same machine & kernel. What does BOOTID give you that HOSTNAME doesn't?
Won't a reboot while editing leave a file with a stale lock?
As to lockf, your BOOTID seems to have portability problems too.
Tom Leete
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