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Re: [Fwd: a suggetion for a new feature for the linux kernel]





On Thu, 31 Jul 1997, Erez Doron wrote:

> Shlomi Fish wrote:
> 
> > Here are some of my thoughts about your suggestion:
> >
> > Well, first of all allowing the Linux Kernel to accept URLS as valid
> > filenames (down to the C open() function level) could pose a few
> > problems.
> > Imagine you change directory to http://www.yahoo.com/Computers and
> > from
> > there retrieve a file with the filename "/usr/hello.txt". Should that
> > be
> > the file /usr/hello.txt on your computer or maybe the one at the
> > "http://www.yahoo.com/usr/hello.txt" URL?
> >
> 
> well that's a problem, but it can be soved ( i'm having som ideas now,
> but i dont want to say before i'm sure )

The kernel can be hacked easily to accept // but what you all forget is,
an URL is not that unique within a machine. Remeber all the redirections
yuo apply to ftp and http directories available to the outside. If an
URLfs will exist it will probably look like any other fs, mounted under
some directory. Then you would have:

/somewhere/ftp://here.is.stuff/i.want

This basically requires a kernel hack OR living with a slightly changed
URL convention, with one leading slash. FYI the kernel does not object to
// at all, bash does mostly. A // is understood as / by most kernels I
have seen (Linux). A legal rewrite of this would be // --> /./ which is
both legal and acceptable to the kernel (any kernel). Colons are legal in
filenames, BTW.

> 
> > And what about ftp connections? If they are kept open as long as the
> > user
> > does not "cd" out of their directory tree, then it can fillup the
> > port
> > table, or cause some other calamities.
> >
> 
> any ftp connection will hold for some time (configurable) and then
> disconnect.the url-sytem will renew the connetcion automatically when
> another url from the
> same ftp site will be asked.
> the time-out duration can be effected by the number of connections.
> 
> > Moreover, I'm not sure, but it is possible that the colon is a valid
> > character in a UNIX filename. Thus, you can create a subdir called
> > "ftp:",
> > and beneath it one called "sunsite.unc.edu" (I'm sure it's valid) etc.
> > etc.
> > and then "cd ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub" will go to a sub-dir of a
> > sub-dir
> > of a subdir of your current directory.
> >
> 
> a colon is valid for a filename, but a '//' isnt so thats no problem.to
> create a file with a name like "ftp://a.b.c" you sould use backslash
> before the '/' because '/' isnt valid.
> 
> > HTTP and FTP connections to multiple hosts could be quite a mess to
> > handle
> > within the kernel alone, but that can be solved with an external
> > application that will serve them. (like the Linux kernel support for
> > Java
> > binaries)
> >
> 
> and there could be other features like browsing throuh a tar file and so
> on, which willbe active via other aplications.
> 
> > One can write a separate file-system that will, serve, for example,
> > yahoo
> > on /www-fs/http/www.yahoo.com/... (once you mounted it on www-fs). Or
> > a
> > file-system that will enable you to place a single site on one
> > mounting
> > point.
> >
> 
> thats a good idea but it is more complicated to use.it will be the best
> replacement for the urlfs if it will be decided that urlfs is
> not good enoght, hard to implement or it holds to much problems
> 
> > All in all, I'm not too sure it's such a good idea at the kernel
> > level, but
> > a common web API (now there's one in Windoze) can be a good idea.
> >
> 
> this is back to the current state, i want non-gui apps to see through
> urls
> 
> > Regards,
> >
> >         Shlomi Fish
> >
> > -------------------
> > ---------------------------------------------------------
> > Shlomi Fish                                Smart Link Ltd.
> > Home E-mail: shlomif@ibm.net               Work E-mail:
> > shlomi@slink.co.il
> > Home Page: http://www.slink.co.il/~shlomi
> >
> > "If I had not been insane already, I would have long ago driven myself
> > mad."
> >
> >                             The Enemy and how I Helped to Fight it.
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ---------
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Regards
> Erez.
>         ___                                            ___
>         L_|_                                            _|_J
>        ( -O>                                            <O- )
>     ___//\J +------------------------------------------+ L/\\___
>    //-,\    | Erez Doron,                              |    /,-\\
>   || / \\___L    U.S. Robotics Technologies, Israel    J___// \ ||
> _ ''/\/ '---J Email:                                   L---' \/\'' _
> / \ //\\.    |    erez@scorpio.com                      |    .//\\ / \
> |_/\'/  ||    +------------------------------------------+    ||  \'/\_|
> 
>   '   ||_                                                  _||   '
>       |__)                                                (__|
> 
> 
> 

Peter Lorand Peres
------------------
plp@actcom.co.il 100310.2360 on CIS (please use Internet address for mail)
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/plp


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