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From: dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi)
Newsgroups: alt.sources,comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Public Domain version of: yes(1)
Message-ID: <2606@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 12 Apr 88 16:13:05 GMT
References: <Apr.1.21.15.54.1988.3010@eagles.rutgers.edu> <26369@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <2561@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi)
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 24
Keywords: Free Software
Summary: efficiency

In article <2561@bsu-cs.UUCP> I wrote:
>     rm < yes

I thank the many people who send me email pointing out that the correct
way to use yes(1) with rm (aliased to "rm -i") is:

     yes | rm

I stand corrected.  However, this led me to realize that it would be
far more efficient to have a special device, so one could simply do:

     rm < /dev/yes

Pipes are well-known to be inefficient, and it makes no sense to create
a new yes process when /dev/yes would be so much faster.  I am working
on writing /dev/yes and will submit it to comp.sources.unix
eventually.  I will also attempt to create a similar device for VAX/VMS
to handle DELETE being redefined as DELETE/CONFIRM.  On VAX/VMS such a
device is critically needed because VMS does not have pipes.

Thanks to all who supplied feedback for their dedication to the cause
of more user-friendly computing.
-- 
Rahul Dhesi         UUCP:  <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi