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From: dg@lakart.UUCP (David Goodenough)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: Trouble killing processes in SysV/AT
Message-ID: <97@lakart.UUCP>
Date: 9 May 88 14:54:18 GMT
References: <81@dcs.UUCP>
Organization: Lake - The systems people
Lines: 26

From article <81@dcs.UUCP>, by wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul):
]In article <216@obie.UUCP> wes@obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes) writes:
]>In article <Apr.29.21.45.24.1988.6900@athos.rutgers.edu>, hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu (Charles Hedrick) writes:
]>| You ask about processes that refuse to die.  (Calling them "immortal"
]>| confers a positive aura that is probably undeserved.  Normally these
]>| processes are in a useless state, and might better be referred to as
]>| members of the "undead".)
]>
]>The canonical term for such a process is "zombie."
]
]I always thought that "zombies" refers to dead processes which have not
]been waited for, rather than processes which refuse to die ?!?

Singularly appropriate: sort of conjures up images of processes stumbling
round the kernel, with eyes closed, dropping bits of code (read flesh) off
at every step - just like the stereotype zombie in a "B" horror movie :-)

P.S. In response to all those that replied to my questions Re: <defunct>
processes, I discover the solution is simple. After every fclose(fp), where
fp is the FILE * I got from popen, I do a wait(&j), and the zombies go away.
Just like sprinkling holy water on them :-). Thanks to all who replied.
-- 
	dg@lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough		+---+
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