Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!ttrdc!levy
From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: suntools and file descriptors
Message-ID: <3280@ttrdc.UUCP>
Date: 22 Mar 89 19:05:05 GMT
Lines: 20

(I tried to send this to the moderator of comp.sys.sun, but I am unsure
whether it worked, so I am sending this to comp.unix.wizards too.)

In the process of debugging some code which uses hardwired file descriptors
on a Sun system, I discovered that suntools windows leave a number of extra
file descriptors open, depending on what tool is running.  For example, a
shelltool leaves fd 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10 open; a cmdtool has 4, 5, 9, 10, 11,
12, and 13 open.

My question is, if an application running in these windows closes these
descriptors, will it have any ill effect?  Does it depend on what the
application wants to do?  If so, in what way?

Thank you very much in advance, and I also apologize in advance if this has
been asked before.
-- 
Daniel R. Levy             UNIX(R) mail:  att!ttbcad!levy
AT&T Bell Laboratories
5555 West Touhy Avenue     Any opinions expressed in the message above are
Skokie, Illinois  60077    mine, and not necessarily AT&T's.