Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!cmcl2!beta!hwe From: hwe@beta.UUCP (Skip Egdorf) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: symbolic links Message-ID: <6837@beta.UUCP> Date: Fri, 26-Jun-87 00:03:45 EDT Article-I.D.: beta.6837 Posted: Fri Jun 26 00:03:45 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 27-Jun-87 05:33:30 EDT References: > <2211@bunker.UUCP> <1097@mtune.ATT.COM> <1101@mtune.ATT.COM> Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M. Lines: 35 Keywords: symbolic links, Multics Summary: History repeats??? When I moved a group of users from a Multics to a brand new 11/70 Version 6 system, there was little trauma. The editors were similar, the languages were different (PL/I vs C) but that was expected and managed by all concerned. The main confusion was with the different semantics of links. You see, Multics used what are now called soft links, and everyone complained how the natural, normal way links should work was broken in UNIX. I had to explain several times why, when a common link was made to a program by several users, and then the owner re-built the program, the other users still got the old version. How un-natural could you get???? (I think that I was the only one who did more than just compile user code on the Multics. I missed, and still miss SO MANY of the features of that environment for development... However, that is another article, and none of the loss was felt by the other users except for link semantics) I finally just told the users that Multics links were Multics links and Unix links were Unix links and that they were just DIFFERENT! Either were a tool for getting a job done, and there was little use in worrying about why the Multics orange didn't make good pies and cider, and why the Unix apple produced very poor marmalade. Now we have a system with both sorts of different and useful tools, and the argument goes on in re-invented form. My two cents worth is: Don't try to put hard-link semantics onto symbolic links, and don't try to put symbolic-link semantics onto hard links. They are both needed concepts. The cost of the additional power is the increased semantics of the file system. Skip Egdorf hwe@lanl.gov