files, printers, etc. [Re: The feel of a LispM/List of running machines]

[cwg@DeepEddy.Com]

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> IMHO this is a bad idea. One of the things that Unix gets right over
> the NT/DOS world is avoiding this machine:file or a:file syntax.
> 
> Files should be located where they logically belong. If application
> FooBar happens to be on machine "tiger", I shouldn't have to know
> that. Besides, it might be moved onto machine "lion" one day.
> 
> I, as a dumb user just want to type ">applications>FooBar" and have it
> found.

On a lisp machine, you define logical hosts which map to physical locations 
which may be anywhere.  Therefore you type:

	foo:bar;baz.lisp

and it gets converted to lispm:>wherever>bar>baz.lisp or unixbox:/usr/local/
bar/baz.lisp or whatever.

The different subdirectories of the logical host foo may even exist on a 
variety of different systems.  The mistake is in trying to map things which 
truely are different to all look like the same lowest common denominator.  
(i.e., a Unix path)

> >In addition to the usual TCP (and RPC) based file access protocols, 
> >the Lisp Machine also has its own proprietary protocol called NFILE.
> >Think of it as sort of like NFS, except there's no mounting, configuring,
> >pretending that file names all look like UNIX, getting hung up, locking
> >problems, or anything else.  
> 
> You need some security, and you need interoperability, and you need
> caching, and you need multi-user. That means you need mounting,
> configuring and pretending and locking.

Yea....you're point is?

> Unix isn't the way it is just through bloody-mindedness.

Much of it is.  BTW, have you read the UNIX-HATERS handbook?  You should.

Chris

-- 
Chris Garrigues                    O-              cwg@DeepEddy.Com
  Deep Eddy Internet Consulting                     +1 512 432 4046
  609 Deep Eddy Avenue
  Austin, TX  78703-4513              http://www.DeepEddy.Com/~cwg/



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