Re: Advantage of XML based GUI? (was Re: Ada-inspired OS/Language)

[nickroberts@blueyonder.co.uk (Nick Roberts)]

On Thu, 12 Sep 2002 08:02:53 +0000 (UTC), Preben Randhol
<randhol+news@pvv.org> strongly typed:

>On Wed, 11 Sep 2002 19:48:28 GMT, Nick Roberts wrote:
>> Very like as I envisaged (an XML based RAD language). I would like to get
>> something like this working on AdaOS as early as would be feasible; I do
>> think it would be a great way of getting very many useful, practical
>> applications up and working very rapidly.
>
>I have started to read a bit on AdaOS and I have two questions. When it
>comes to device drivers how are they going to be implemented. I mean one
>of the problems Linux has is that one have to make all the device
>drivers onself and somethimes this means reverse engineering. Would one
>need to do the same for AdaOS or could on easily port the linux
>drivers?

Currently, I plan to write 'native' device drivers (in Ada) for AdaOS. I
intend to go to the original hardware documentation wherever posisble, and
write the drivers properly. I don't think it's unfair to suggest that most
device drivers (even commercial ones) tend be of remarkably poor quality.

Nevertheless, it would be really handy to provide compatibility layers that
would allow existing device drivers to be used. At some stage, maybe we
will have a go at this.

>Second:
>
>   Printout Renderer
>
>   This program accepts a data stream in the form of binary 'formatting
>   objects', and transforms them into the data to be sent to the printer
>   (e.g. PostScript, PCL, or pure TIFF).
>
>   One of the special extra functions of this program is to separately
>   accept text for a page header and page footer, which it prints on
>   every page. This function is used to ensure that security labels are
>   printed.
>
>I don't understand the latter paragraph. Say I want to print a book or
>something else from my AdaOS, I wouldn't want extra headers and
>footnotes to clutter the page so I guess one can turn this off? But if
>on what does it do to security?

Chad Meiners' answer:

| For ensuring that "TOP SECRET" is printed on every page of the top secret
| document you are printing.

is absolutely correct (in essence).

If you don't want labels to be printed, and you have the necessary security
clearance, you simply tell Printout Manager not to print them (it will be
an option). The point is that this is a privileged option; the system
administrator(s) can stop ordinary users using this option, if they want
to.

All security features are optional. It's just that they are optional for
the privileged user, not for the ordinary user!

If you were running AdaOS on your own personal computer, you would be the
system administrator, and so you would have the highest privileges (you are
allowed to do anything ;-). Probably you would have security label printing
permanently turned off. In fact, probably you would have no mandatory
security features operative at all.

If, on the other hand, you were using a workstation which is a part of your
company's AdaOS network, you may be permitted to print things, but not to
turn off the security labels. If this was going to be a problem, you would
have to ask a privileged user to print it for you (with the labels off);
that user would have to take responsibility for the possible consequences.

-- 
Nick Roberts