>> why does this work as expected:
>> 
>>    # cat /p/netbsd/basesrc/etc/rc.d/LOGIN | diff - /etc/rc.d/LOGIN
>> 
>> while this does not?
>> 
>>    # diff /p/netbsd/basesrc/etc/rc.d/LOGIN /etc/rc.d/LOGIN
>
>At a guess, I'd say it's because diff is trying to lseek() on the portal
>"file" and the lseek fails...  If the portal "file" appears as a regular
>file, I'd expect something like
>...
>when run as "foo /p/netbsd/basesrc/etc/rc.d/LOGIN" to return an error.

lseek: Illegal seek

okay, thanks.

-- 
|-----< "CODE WARRIOR" >-----|
codewarrior@daemon.org             * "ah!  i see you have the internet
twofsonet@graffiti.com (Andrew Brown)                that goes *ping*!"
andrew@crossbar.com       * "information is power -- share the wealth."