Xref: utzoo comp.unix.wizards:8915 comp.sources.d:2192
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!mhres!jv
From: jv@mhres.mh.nl (Johan Vromans)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Finding where an executable was run from -- a proposal.
Message-ID: <1889@mhres.mh.nl>
Date: 28 May 88 16:46:37 GMT
References: <2272@isis.UUCP>
Organization: Multihouse NV, the Netherlands
Lines: 27

From article <2272@isis.UUCP>, by aburt@isis.UUCP (Andrew Burt):
> What would even be more useful (and what this approximates in an ugly way)
> is a global environment (that isn't user changeable).  A true global env.
> could be implemented by a lib func (getsysenv(var_name)) that looks for
> "var_name=..." in a file, /etc/environment say.  (Granted, we could make
> this a system call and store the environment in core all the time, but it
> strikes me programs wouldn't look up definitions so often that much time
> would be saved.)  Makes the system admin job easier too.  I always feel
> a little uneasy editing passwd (I dial in on often noisy phone lines), I'd
> feel better editing a less crucial file.
> 
> Thoughts anyone?

I like the idea. It seems to me that it is also usefull for tailorable
system constants like hostname, domain-name, number-of-lines for the system 
printer and (default) timezone.
The main thing is, that although everyone can use it, only the system
administrator can change the settings. This allows for security and 
reliability.

To get it accepted: make a solid, good-looking implementation and post it
to comp.sources.unix. And then start posting programs which use it.

-- 
Johan Vromans                              | jv@mh.nl via European backbone
Multihouse N.V., Gouda, the Netherlands    | uucp: ..{uunet!}mcvax!mh.nl!jv
"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness"