Re: potato missing /dev's
>>>>> On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 13:53:38 +0000 (GMT), Jules Bean <jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk> said:
Jules> On 1 Feb 2000, James LewisMoss wrote:
>> >>>>> On Mon, 31 Jan 2000 20:32:51 -0600, Steve Greenland
>> >>>>> <stevegr@debian.org> said:
>>
Steve> On 30-Jan-00, 13:03 (CST), Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> wrote:
>> >> Steve Greenland wrote:
>> >> > devices in the current directory. I suppose there is some
>> >> > traditional reason why this is so, but I'm very tempted to
>> >> > report a fatal bug against it.
>> >>
>> >> Gah.
>> >>
>> >> Is there _anyone_ out there who has read the definitions of the
>> >> bug tracking severities?
>>
Steve> Yes, I have, and I use them correctly when I actually report
Steve> bugs. This was an offhand remark. Besides, "fatal" isn't a
Steve> severity level.
>>
Steve> Don't you think that the fact that MAKEDEV, when run outside
Steve> of /dev (by root, of course), creates the devices files in the
Steve> current directory is a severe design flaw? With not even an
>>
>> No. For several reasons:
>>
>> 1) It's perfectly reasonable for someone to want device files that
>> don't happen to reside in /dev.
>> 2) The script isn't in /bin or /sbin. It's in /dev.
Jules> Which would be fine, except that it *is* in the default path,
Jules> being symlinked into /sbin.
Well slap me silly. I had missed this. Then I agree in part. It
shouldn't be in the default path or it should by default put things in
/dev and require an arg to do otherwise.
Jules> We put things in the path so people can run them from any
Jules> working directory. This does seem foolish for something which
Jules> does somethin most people won't want if the wd is anything
Jules> apart from /dev.
I agree.
Jules> I suggest making the file live somewhere in /usr/lib, with a
Jules> symlink in /dev as currently. Then people who want to create
Jules> device files elsewhere just run (cd somewhere;/dev/MAKEDEV)
Jules> whilst people who want them in /dev run (cd /dev;./MAKEDEV)
Jules> which is the historically accepted way of running it.
Why not just have it like in /dev?
Jim
--
@James LewisMoss <dres@ioa.com> | Blessed Be!
@ http://www.ioa.com/~dres | Linux is kewl!
@"Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours." Bach
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