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-Thread: a07f3367d7,39579ad87542da0e
X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,public,usenet
X-Google-NewGroupId: yes
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Received: by 10.66.102.106 with SMTP id fn10mr466616pab.8.1368617498761;
        Wed, 15 May 2013 04:31:38 -0700 (PDT)
Path: 
 bp1ni2329pbd.1!nntp.google.com!npeer02.iad.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!feed-me.highwinds-media.com!border3.nntp.dca.giganews.com!Xl.tags.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail
NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 06:31:38 -0500
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 07:31:36 -0400
From: "Peter C. Chapin" <PChapin@vtc.vsc.edu>
X-X-Sender: peter@whirlwind
Subject: Re: Seeking for papers about tagged types vs access to subprograms
In-Reply-To: <kjbvp4huk80h$.lmd96b154spg$.dlg@40tude.net>
Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.02.1305150727500.2254@whirlwind>
References: <op.wv8jh1c1ule2fv@cardamome>
 <nd22gfeezrwf$.tlj4yyygrwq3$.dlg@40tude.net> <kmecg6$et4$1@loke.gir.dk>
 <12gn9wvv1gwfk.10ikfju4rzmnj.dlg@40tude.net> <kmh7d4$up3$1@loke.gir.dk>
 <op.wwumn3r2ule2fv@cardamome> <av4r5qFitfiU1@mid.individual.net>
 <kmk2on$tij$1@loke.gir.dk> <av7q6hF8evqU1@mid.individual.net>
 <op.wwykzzi9ule2fv@cardamome> <av912pFfve6U1@mid.individual.net>
 <kmooeh$ajj$1@dont-email.me> <wccmwrzu9oj.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com>
 <op.ww0gj0ltule2fv@cardamome> <wccsj1rnhqh.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com>
 <kmr7p2$mfp$2@dont-email.me> <kmr9ja$40g$1@dont-email.me>
 <wccy5bi3d7n.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com> <kmripc$tpu$1@dont-email.me>
 <wcc1u991gkh.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com> <op.ww3yjnccule2fv@cardamome>
 <kjbvp4huk80h$.lmd96b154spg$.dlg@40tude.net>
User-Agent: Alpine 2.02 (DEB 1266 2009-07-14)
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com
X-Trace: 
 sv3-AkI+QfpMMwij2lmWsZkgl7VvrIMpDw4qfRnUofY9jQ+H9PEPYYsuaO7IaFJPAiBJSj3swDuBA6oZNaF!uBTYM8riWrkiNNmZYckvVHLCjLgGkTGgoaONdQU5bWlh0ML/FGB3dLzTdOMoysbm4x29urBJyw==
X-Complaints-To: abuse@giganews.com
X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint
 properly
X-Postfilter: 1.3.40
X-Original-Bytes: 2718
X-Received-Bytes: 2859
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Date: 2013-05-15T07:31:36-04:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

On Wed, 15 May 2013, Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:

> If you have a broken OS, like Linux/Windows is, you cannot have this 
> abstraction. Instead you emulate it as a lower-level stream of octets 
> with escape sequences used to simulate lines. What is wrong with that? 
> It conflates representation with the interface.

The genius of the Linux (and Windows) way of representing files is that 
the operating system does not need to know anything about the nature of 
the data being stored in the files. Thus new file types can be defined by 
applications without any OS changes. This does push the burden of 
interpreting the file's format into the application but the benefit is a 
more generic operating system. When one considers all the different kinds 
of files created by applications today, I can't imagine any other way 
working well.

Peter