Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!steinmetz!ge-dab!codas!ateng!chip
From: chip@ateng.UUCP (Chip Salzenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: nonstandard '..' and '.' entries - (nf)
Message-ID: <179@ateng.UUCP>
Date: 3 Feb 88 18:58:21 GMT
References: <4300010@pcsbst.UUCP> <670004@hpclscu.HP.COM>
Reply-To: chip@ateng.UUCP (Chip Salzenberg)
Organization: A T Engineering, Tampa, FL
Lines: 24

>/ hpclscu:comp.unix.wizards / jh@pcsbst /  2:29 am  Jan 26, 1988 /
>> 2)   If the operating system silently implies these standard
>>      relations, why not drop the explicit '..' and '.' entries []
>
>I know of at least one implementation of Unix []
>that did not have entries for "." and "..".

Charles River Data Systems UNOS is (was?) mostly a UN*X lookalike; but its
directory structure is neither SysV nor Berkeley:

	No entries for '.' and '..'.
	    The kernel path munger notes these and handles them.

	Each directory entry is 32 bytes long.
	    30 for name, 2 for inode.

	Empty directory entries have inode == -1.
	    Not zero.  ("not zero", get it?)

It was a _joy_ porting V7 "find" to UNOS...
-- 
Chip Salzenberg                 UUCP: "{codas,uunet}!ateng!chip"
A T Engineering                 My employer's opinions are a trade secret.
       "Anything that works is better than anything that doesn't."