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From: chips@usfvax2.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.unix.wizards,comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Free Software Foundation (was: Re: Mach, the new standard?)
Message-ID: <840@usfvax2.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Sep-87 08:57:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: usfvax2.840
Posted: Thu Sep 24 08:57:24 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 14:24:55 EDT
References: <1665@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <8381@utzoo.UUCP> <797@Pescadero.ARPA> <7672@felix.UUCP>
Organization: AT Engineering, Tampa, FL
Lines: 33
Xref: utgpu comp.arch:2200 comp.unix.wizards:4149 comp.os.minix:1637
Summary: Ok

In article <7672@felix.UUCP>, preston@felix.UUCP (Preston Bannister) writes:
} In article <838@usfvax2.UUCP> chips@usfvax2.UUCP (Chip Salzenberg) writes:
} 
} >There is one thing about UNIX fork()-exec() that you've overlooked --
} >after the fork(), the child process can set up the environment of the
} >soon-to-be-exec'ed process by modifying its own environment.
} >(Can you say `pipes, I/O redirection and current directory'?
} >I knew you could.)
} 
} What I should have said :-) was that the
} code executed between the fork() and exec() call typically does not
} need the full semantics of fork().
} 
} An extreme example would be to imagine, say, a program that is using a
} large amount of memory that wants to run some other program with the
} output into a pipe that it would read.
} 
} We need to factor out the management of process contexts (the set of
} open files, mapping of signals, etc.) from the management of the
} address/data space.
} 
} --
} Preston L. Bannister

I agree that fork() does much more than is necessary in some cases.

For example, I use an editor that forks twice as preparation for running
an area of text through a filter; that really _is_ expensive, since our editor
is quite large.  (No, not emassive :-}; the Rand editor `E'.)
-- 
Chip Salzenberg            UUCP: "uunet!ateng!chip"  or  "chips@usfvax2.UUCP"
A.T. Engineering, Tampa    Fidonet: 137/42    CIS: 73717,366
"Use the Source, Luke!"    My opinions do not necessarily agree with anything.