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From: torvalds@transmeta.com (Linus Torvalds)
Subject: Re: PROPOSAL: dot-proc interface [was: /proc stuff]
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 19:07:53 +0000 (UTC)
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In article <20011104172742Z16629-26013+37@humbolt.nl.linux.org>,
Daniel Phillips  <phillips@bonn-fries.net> wrote:
>On November 4, 2001 05:45 pm, Tim Jansen wrote:
>> > The dot-proc file is basically a binary encoding of Lisp (or XML), e.g. it
>> > is a list of elements, wherein an element can itself be a list (or a
>> 
>> Why would anybody want a binary encoding? 
>
>Because they have a computer?

That's a stupid argument.

The computer can parse anything. 

It's us _humans_ that are limited at parsing. We like text interfaces,
because that's how we are brought up. We aren't good at binary, and
we're not good at non-linear, "structured" interfaces.

In contrast, a program can be taught to parse the ascii files quite
well, and does not have the inherent limitations we humans have. Sure,
it has _other_ limitations, but /proc being ASCII is sure as hell not
one of them.

In short: /proc is ASCII, and will so remain while I maintain a kernel.
Anything else is stupid.

Handling spaces and newlines is easy enough - see the patches from Al
Viro, for example.

		Linus