Re: OFFTOPIC: How about a /dev/clipboard ?

[shaleh@clifford.livenet.net]

> 
> >> /dev/clipboard would require kernel modifications, and is probably not
> >> what you are lookign for.
> >
> >I don't see why it would?
> 
>   Everything in /dev is run by the kernel; when you write or read
> a file in /dev, the kernel calls the appropriate driver functions
> to deal with it.  Thus /dev/ttyS* interfaces with the serial
> driver, /dev/eth* with the ethernet drivers, etc.   
> 

This is slightly incorrect.  MOST items in /dev are simply interfaces to the
kernel.  However, an item need not link to a driver.  One could make a FIFO
there that some X app could read/write clippings to and some master server
controls (possibly the X server).  xconsole uses a /dev/xconsole to read output
from syslog.  It is not a kernel interface, rather syslog writes to it and
xconsole reads it.

Now, whether anyone is insane enough to do this is entirely a different matter.
Xlib already provides for clipping via selections.  It is just a matter of the
library taking advantage of Xlib's capability.