Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: switching file systems
Message-ID: <6465@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 8 Oct 89 03:03:31 GMT
References: <2993@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 39

File system switches are quite useful. On the Amiga this sort of capability
is provided by what's called a "handler", which effectively does its own file
system parsing on a filename, making whatever is inside it look like a file
system. Here are some of the alternative systems:

	The standard file system.
	The Fast File System, a version of the standard file system
		that has less redundancy to improve speed.
	RAM: an automatically sized RAM disk, which allocates memory for
		files on the fly.
	VD0: like RAM:, but it survives a reboot. A bonus that comes with
		ASDG's RAM cards.
	VDK: similar to VD0:, but a normal commercial product.
	NET: A networked file system.
	CrossDOS, a file system that lets you transparently read and write
		MS-DOS disks. A commercial product.

Also, there are file-system-like things:

	CON: Console window interface. The path specifies the size, title, and
		position of the window.
	PATH: A modified RAM disk that allows you to create directories that
		point to a set of directories elsewehere in the system. For
		example, if you set up PATH:C containing the lines "RAD:C",
		"RAM:C", "DF0:C", and "Workbench:C"... if you tried to open
		"PATH:foo/copy" it would look for copy in all the directories
		names.
	PIPE: A named pipe device. If you open PIPE:foo for reading, and
		another program opens it for writing, you can talk to each
		other.
	A raw disk interface, I don't know the name or syntax.

All of these things really add to the hacker-friendliness of the machine. I
would recommend a file system switch to anyone.
-- 
Peter da Silva, *NIX support guy @ Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Biz: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. Fun: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com. `-_-'
                                                                           'U`
Quote: Structured Programming is a discipline -- not a straitjacket.