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From: mmeyer@next.com (Morris Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.nfs
Subject: Re: NeFS
Keywords: NeFS, NFS
Message-ID: <199@next.com>
Date: 30 Jun 90 17:36:33 GMT
References: <1075@cluster.cs.su.oz>
Reply-To: mmeyer@entropy.next.com (Morris Meyer)
Organization: NeXT, Inc.
Lines: 41

In article <1075@cluster.cs.su.oz> bruce@basser.cs.su.oz.au writes:
[ ... text deleted ]
>
>I have long suspected with regard to NFS that Sun left behind some
>of unix file system semantics so as to be able to support a wider
>range of client and server platforms (e.g. PC's).  Now with the advent of
>NeFS it seems that they may be moving further in this direction.
>
>Perhaps some readers from Sun or elsewhere would like to comment?
>
>Bruce Janson

At NeXT, we have found that the traditional UNIX file system semantics
restrict the performance of our file-system based user-interface
components (open panel, save panel and workspace).  Each component is
a column oriented browser with scrollers, and with file pathnames
separated into columns.  Next to each filename is an optional carrot
'>' which designates whether or not the pathname component is a
directory or not.

When a user clicks on a directory, the browser must first do a
readdir, followed by stats on all of the direntries to tell whether or
not the directory entry needs a carrot next to it.  Your user
interface can vary trmendously depending on whether you are on a local
or a remote filesystem. With NeFS, this could be one client NeFS
operation that was loaded onto a server.

When our workspace is displaying icons for filenames, it has to
generate them based upon file extension and whether or not the file is
executable.  Programs "register" their icons with the workspace by
indicating which file extensions that they can handle.  An icon view
is expensive and inelegant with current Unix filesystem semantics.
With NeFS one could download directory semantics that have an icon, a
registered program, etc inside the actual directory.

		--morris

		morris meyer (mmeyer@next.com)
		software engineer
		NeXT OS Group