Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 11:14:41 +0200 (IST)
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
To: Randy Maas <randym AT acm DOT org>
cc: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: mntent patch - c file
In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19971222163207.007e6620@yacker.xiotech.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.971223111159.13745I@is>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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On Mon, 22 Dec 1997, Randy Maas wrote:

> ! #define MNT_MNTTAB      __mnt_mnttab()
> ! #define DEFAULT_MNT_MNTTAB      "/etc/mnttab"

MNT_MNTTAB was lifted from Unix header files.  Some Unix-born
program could expect that to be a compile-time string.

> That said, the question of *why* I'd want this.  Partly because it makes
> djgpp a little more unixy.  Mostly because I'd rather use the mntent family
> of functions in an add-on library for mount'ing and automounting a series
> of loadable fsext modules.

If the only reason is to allow adding filesystems with `addmntent',
then does it really need to be a file?  Why not keep it in memory
while the program runs?  Do we have any reasons to leave it there
after the program exits?  It surely will have one effect that could
surprise people: programs run after the file was created will see
those fake filesystems which they probably cannot access.

I think that any effect of FSEXT extensions should not be permamenent.
It should only hold as long as the program which creates the
illusionary files/filesystems runs, and disappear immediately after
that.