I've already pointed out that I don't intend this to be a general
   disk formatting utility.  It is a method of sending arbitrary commands
   to a SCSI device.

And I've already pointed out that *I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A BLOODY
FORMATTING UTILITY*.  I even gave a specific example of how this could
screw people, where the user was *CLEARLY* not intending to use it as
a formatting utility.

Checking the CDB length will avoid lossage in that specific case, but
the same caveat applies to mistyping a REQUEST SENSE command, or a
variety of other trivial mistakes.  The current interface provides no
way for the user to have any certainty that he/she is not going to
lose catastrophically.

Adding mnemonic names for the well-known commands certainly isn't
difficult, and would go pretty far toward making the interface more
resistant to errors.  I simply can't fathom why you object so strongly
to this.

   There are other users who don't need this level of control.  It is
   convenient for someone like me to provide scripts for these other
   users.  I need a basis for this.  The current scsi command provides
   this basis.

Nothing I suggested prevents that.

   If you propose that this capability only be provided within the kernel
   then I disagree.

If you think I suggested that, I challenge you to show me where.

   The mode page editor provides a clean interface that I consider to be
   a good interface.  However, I still want the arbitrary interface.

Nothing I suggested prevents that.

   However, as you are quick to point out, you intended to be sarcastic
   and critical.

I definitely was *not* being `sarcastic'.  Indeed, *your* words -- `so
that I may learn at the feet of the master' -- are by far the most
`sarcastic' words I've seen in this thread.

If you can't deal with someone pointing out a flaw in your program,
then you have a problem.