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From: ranjit@grad1.cis.upenn.edu (Ranjit Bhatnagar)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Symbolic Links and the AREXX: device
Message-ID: <14083@netnews.upenn.edu>
Date: 6 Sep 89 05:43:55 GMT
Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu
Reply-To: ranjit@grad1.cis.upenn.edu.UUCP (Ranjit Bhatnagar)
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Lines: 36

Here's some uses for symbolic links, sorted by obviousness.  If
you think of a symbolic link as just a way of making a file point
at another file, you miss the more exciting possibilities of the
Amiga's device space.

	ln -s file sys:foo
	ln -s file df0:foo/ick
	ln -s file pipe:input
	ln -s :dev/ttyd1 aux2:
	ln -s libs "arexx:showlist 'l'"
	ln -s everything "arexx:address command find : -print"
	ln -s "Monthly Report" "arexx:recalc.maxiplan"
	ln -s Booby "arexx:address command delete : all"
	ln -s :dev/texprinter "arexx:texify >prt:"

The really interesting ones depend on the "arexx:" device, whose
use is obvious.  It doesn't exist yet  - but I'm sure someone will 
invent it pretty soon.  Once "arexx:" exists, anyone can write a 
(slow) device handler without touching a compiler.  Using "assign"
effectively creates an independent handler process:

	assign outmail: "arexx:sendme.uucp"

 -- the sendme script waits for input instead of being reinvoked
 every time.

If anyone is inspired to write "arexx:" by this, please send me a
note.  It would be a character-stream device, like ser: or con:,
rather than a file-oriented device like df0: or ram:.

	- ranjit


* Ranjit Bhatnagar * 4211 Pine Street * Philadelphia, PA 19104 * 215-222-5767 *
"Trespassers w"   ranjit@eniac.seas.upenn.edu	mailrus!eecae!netnews!eniac!...
	   "Such a brute that even his shadow breaks things." (Lorca)