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From: mellman@ttrdd.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: ps -s /dev/null kills system?
Message-ID: <213@ttrdd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Sep-87 11:54:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: ttrdd.213
Posted: Thu Sep 24 11:54:19 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Sep-87 22:04:45 EDT
Organization: AT&T, Skokie, IL
Lines: 9
Keywords: system V, examining core files

ps(1) says, about the -s option:

"Use the file *swapdev* in place of -/dev/swap-.  This is useful when
examining a *corefile*; a *swapdev* of -/dev/null- will cause the user
block to be zeroed out."

Is this for real?  What is the *user block*, anyway?  Presumably, if it's
a disk block, you have to be the super-user to have write access to disk,
but even then...