From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262097AbUK3Oxl (ORCPT ); Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:53:41 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S262098AbUK3Oxl (ORCPT ); Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:53:41 -0500 Received: from inti.inf.utfsm.cl ([200.1.21.155]:37801 "EHLO inti.inf.utfsm.cl") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S262097AbUK3Oxj (ORCPT ); Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:53:39 -0500 Message-Id: <200411301451.iAUEptDH006868@laptop11.inf.utfsm.cl> To: Peter Foldiak cc: Christian Mayrhuber , reiserfs-list@namesys.com, Hans Reiser , Paolo Ciarrocchi , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: file as a directory In-Reply-To: Message from Peter Foldiak of "Mon, 29 Nov 2004 22:59:31 -0000." <41ABA9D3.7020602@st-andrews.ac.uk> X-Mailer: MH-E 7.4.2; nmh 1.0.4; XEmacs 21.4 (patch 15) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 11:51:55 -0300 From: Horst von Brand Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Peter Foldiak said: > Horst von Brand wrote: > >Now think about files with other formats, for instance the (in)famous > >sendmail.cf, or less structured stuff like you find in /etc/init.d/, or > >just Postgres databases (with fun stuff like permissions on records and > >fields)... or just people groping in /etc/passwd wanting to find the whole > >entry (not just one field), or perhaps look at the 15th character of the > >entry for John Doe. > >This way lies utter madness (what format description should be applied to > >what file this time around?). Plus shove all this garbage into the kernel?! > I was suggesting this idea mainly form XML files, where the tags define > the parts clearly. Use a XML parsing library then. > In addition, I was suggesting that some of the XPath syntax (normally > used for within-XML selection) could be extended above the file level > into the file system. Urgh. > The problems you mention are all related to non-XML file format issues, Most (say 99,95%) files aren't XML; and if they are, the requisite parsing is probably on hand already, so... > which was only a minor comment in parenthesis in my original mail. I am > happy to do it only for XML to begin with (and if possible later see if > it can be done for SOME non-XML formats). Please don't. -- Dr. Horst H. von Brand User #22616 counter.li.org Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431 Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239 Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513