Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!FRAZIER%AFGLSC.SPAN@star.stanford.edu
From: FRAZIER%AFGLSC.SPAN@star.stanford.edu
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Kernel Hacks & Weird Filenames
Message-ID: <13041@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: 20 Apr 88 14:23:34 GMT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 37

From Scott Preece:
-------------------------------------------------
>> I'm not saying I support the idea of prohibiting filenames with embedded
>> special characters (my immediate question is "Special to whom?" -- what
>> if those "non-printable" characters are codes for icons or Kanji or
>> something we just haven't though about yet), but if you DO ban them it
>> sounds to me like exactly the kind of thing you DO want the kernel to do:
>> it's a policy decision that you want to be able to guarantee is
>> enforced everywhere.  Return EINVAL.

>> scott preece
>> gould/csd - urbana
>> uucp:	ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!preece
>> arpa:	preece@Gould.com
-------------------------------------------------

      This is a very valid point.  To hack the kernel to prohibit
special characters in filenames would create more headaches than
it's worth.  Especially with the new wave of Unix workstations that
are quickly becoming application machines.  I think it's reasonable
to assume that this by and large is not so great a problem.  Even
if a person creates a file starting with a "-",  the root can purge
the file. (Albeit it's somewhat of a bother but the process could be hacked
into either script or program.   
      Another point.  If someone decides that they want the special characters,
they have to go hack the kernel to remove the prohibition.  This may not be
a problem for some of the more experienced Unix people,  but a great many
others would not attempt such a task and would run the risk of screwing up
his kernel if s/he did.  For this reason,  I would suggest hacking sh, csh,
and ksh to reflect this change.  (The shell is much easier to hack,  would
you agree.)  There isn't really any need to increase kernel overhead as it is.
The kernel is suffering from Over-Hacking, or at leat appears to be.  Every
time someone wants to make a system-wide change,  "Hey,  let's hack the kernel
so we won't have to change all thos programs!"   ;-)

-Frazier
Frazier%afgl.span@star.stanford.edu