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From: warren@pluto.UUCP (Warren Burstein)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,rec.humor
Subject: Re: /dev/null: The final frontier
Message-ID: <338@pluto.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-May-87 22:38:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: pluto.338
Posted: Sat May 16 22:38:48 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 18-May-87 05:35:56 EDT
References: <100@upas.UUCP>
Reply-To: warren@pluto.UUCP (Warren Burstein)
Distribution: world
Organization: Industrial Automation Systems, New York, NY
Lines: 23
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:2376 rec.humor:3558

In article <100@upas.UUCP> rcw@upas.UUCP (Robert White) writes:
>Where do the bytes go when moved or copied to /dev/null?
>Does the machine dissipate the data as heat?
>How does a null device driver work?

1+2) The bytes written to /dev/null go the same place as bits shifted
out of the accumulator.  Your Field Engineer has to periodically come
in and remove them.  Unfortunately there is no indication when the
recepticle is full.  It gets full faster if you don't discard equal
numbers of 1's and 0's.

VERY IMPORTANT: Do not try to remove the bits yourself!

3) /dev/null is a special case of memory.  Think about it.

cr--r-----  1 sys        3,   0 Jul 17  1984 /dev/mem
cr--r-----  1 sys        3,   1 Jul 17  1984 /dev/kmem
crw-rw-rw-  1 root       3,   2 May 16 22:17 null
-- 
/|/~\~~\    The entire world             Warren Burstein
 |__/__/_/  is a very narrow carrot.
 |          But the farmer               philabs!tg!pluto!warren
/           is not afraid at all.        Why doesn't life come with subtitles?