OFF: Extensible File System

[Mike Prince]

On Mon, 7 Nov 1994, Cybernaut wrote:
>     I believe that by handling objects files as just another extended dirent
> tag, the system can easily discern one object from another and know what
> object does what without ever having to know where that object is stored or
> anything about the internal stucture of the object files.

Here's another version.  Forget everything you've learning about file 
systems.  All objects are "floating around" in this virtual machine 
(the set of all computers).  There are several rings around groups of 
these objects.  All objects that just happen to be in a workspace (CPU), 
all objects in a domain (group of CPU's), and finally the set of all of them.

Objects would also contain static refernces to other objects, the links 
of program flow.  These links could also be used to group objects or 
navigate the relationships between them.

Objects would have the ability to respond to requests.  Ask an object for 
an icon of itself, or a dialog box to talk to it, etc.

Just a note, what I'm describing are actually my Tool Boxes, though 
people like to hear the term objects.  Each tool box could also contain 
sub-objects which are manipulated by the code within the Tool box.  These 
sub-objects could be the traditional OO objects with inheritance, etc.

My main point, is that we could get completely away from the file system 
hierarchy to a more WWW type system of managing data.  All data is free 
floating.  Traverse links to get where you want.

My $.02

Mike