> > > Another way (which I prefer) is to eliminate MAKEDEV and let the
> > > kernel make the device nodes for us, possibly in a special filesystem
> > > for that purpose, automatically mounted on /dev/.

DG/UX does exactly this.

> > Why?  Because it means the user-level device names are wired into the
> > kernel.  Because it means I can't  [ ln, chmod, chgrp, ...]

And allows this...

> > Or if devfs does support the above, it means the results won't survive
> > the next reboot.
> Making the changes survive reboot is harder, but if one is willing
> to be open minded, then there are reasonably easy ways to do it.
> (i.e. a script to change things from the kernel defaults)

with this scheme.  (i.e. if you don't like the defaults, you add a startup
script to add your own names. [*])

Now, I don't know if it's an argument FOR or AGAINST that DG/UX does this ;-).
I've never actually *used* DG/UX (though I took a course in writing device
drivers for it), and just thought this was a cool idea.

[*] In anticipation of the argument "but why should I have to know the name
the kernel will pick", you *always* have to know at least one name -- if
it isn't a text name, it's a pair of numbers; I don't see why "14,17" is
any more mnemonic than "nrst1"...