From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,bc1361a952ec75ca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-08-31 16:52:05 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!newsfeed1.earthlink.net!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!news.mindspring.net!not-for-mail From: "Brian Catlin" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Progress on AdaOS Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 16:51:05 -0700 Organization: Sannas Consulting Message-ID: <9mp7td$8qc$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: a5.f7.eb.70 X-Server-Date: 31 Aug 2001 23:51:09 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:12625 Date: 2001-08-31T23:51:09+00:00 List-Id: "M. A. Alves" wrote in message news:mailman.999279849.27594.comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org... > My view is close to that. ADTs. File = persistent (un)bounded array of > storage element (plus user and permission information). Dir = persistent > (un)bounded array of files (plus ditto). > > But in my dream OS directories would be just one of many ways of grouping > files. Other ways: by owner, permission, create time, last update time, > format... And a file could really belong to more than one > directory-category. An actual forest, which UNIX file system is not (it > is a tree). > > Ultimately it is an identity problem. UNIX file has key path/filename, so > directories must form a tree (not a forest). Dream OS file would have > another key scheme, perhaps OID (Object Identifier) (= UNIX inode?). Microsoft's NTFS file system supports the sort of flexibility you're looking for. NTFS supports building an index of any file attribute, so a directory is simply an index built over file names. Another *really* nice feature, is that a file can have any number of data streams. Also, file system meta files (Master File Table (MFT), bitmap, etc.) are not treated specially; they're just files, like anything else. Treating everything orthogonally really simplifies the implementation. For more info on NTFS and its capabilities, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnw2kmag00/html /NTFSPart1.asp -Brian