>> 1) Where in the unix file-system do I find Mac Volumes?  Ideally, we need one
>>    standard place for this.
>>
>>     Possible answers:
>>                         "Volume1:" --> "/dev/Volume1"
>>                - or -   "Volume1:" --> "/Mac/Volume1"
>
>Why not just "Volume1:" --> "/Volume1" ?

This depends on your answer to the next question.


>> 2) To what Macintosh path does the unix path "/" map?
>>
>>     Possible answers:
>>                         "/" --> "{BootDisk}:"
>
>Or how about "/" --> the Finder desktop; i.e. containing all drives as
>"folders" or mount points, plus contents of Desktop Folders on all volumes,
>plus a "Trash" "folder" containing contents of "Trash" folders
>on all volumes. Writing to / puts things on the startup disk. This would
>be consistent with "Volume1:" --> "/Volume1" as above. This is also kind of
>like the way Peter N Lewis's ftpd works, if I recall correctly.

Unfortunatly, it is not consistent with AppleShare and the Mac Finder.
However, that in itself does not exclude the possibility of implementing it
this way.  The following problems must be solved though:

if "/" --> the Finder desktop (where desktop is union of
                                each and every "Desktop Folder" mounted
                                  as parent to each available volume)


then it makes sense to find "Volume1:" as "/Volume1", but then you cannot
have files or directories on the desktop with the same name as volumes.
This is currently permitted since the desktop as you describe it (unified
super-directory) does not exist.

So, let's say to avoid that problem, we leave other desktop contents in
their current locations "VolumeX:Desktop Folder:" and merely choose "/" as
the place to mount all available volumes.  This avoids the name conflict
problem, but creates a "/" which necessarily must be read-only.

This is why I prefer the creation of a directory specific for mac
disks/devices or whatever.

Let me also add some of the design goals I have been operating under:

As much as possible, I'm trying to establish a name-space mapping which can
be implemented as a dumb syntax translator.

- it should equate as much of the two file systems as possible

- the equation/relationship should make intuitive sense to both Mac AND Unix
    users who understand a little of each platform

- application of the mapping should not require special environment or
    file-system information (the process running the mapping may not have access
    to special information)





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        Peter M. Pundy                  Andyne Computing Ltd.
                                        552 Princess Street
        peterp@andyne.on.ca             Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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