Subject: Re: utmp file format change
To: James Graham <greywolf@starwolf.com>
From: James Chacon <jchacon@genuity.net>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 10/05/2001 12:43:08
>backward compatibility to pre-1.0.  We must be the only OS on the face
>of the planet to have an eleven-year backward-compatibility timespan!
>This is insane.  I mean, yeah, it's a cool thing to be able to declare
>that, but man, we're getting a little hefty around the midsection lately.
>


1. You don't have to compile in all the compat support (I rarely do on my
-current machines).

2. It's actually not that much space

3. It's a huge win for running ancient binaries for some people who can't
get source, new builds, etc.

James

>On Fri, 5 Oct 2001, Todd Vierling wrote:
>
># Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 10:26:16 -0400 (EDT)
># From: Todd Vierling <tv@wasabisystems.com>
># To: Simon J. Gerraty <sjg@crufty.net>
># Cc: tech-userlevel@netbsd.org
># Subject: Re: utmp file format change
>#
># On Sat, 22 Sep 2001, Simon J. Gerraty wrote:
>#
># : >A device node doing the translation is my best suggestion at this point, as
># : >it doesn't have the problems of Solaris's "update daemon":  it catches
># : >old-utmp accesses where they happen, and needs no "cleanup" procedure.
># :
># : Do you have an estimate on how much work this is?
>#
># Eh, you're basically looking at a small bit of device code that holds a
># vnode to the new-utmp file, and has two small buffers exactly equal to the
># size of an old-utmp entry and new-utmp entry.  It's just a matter of
># translating records one at a time.
>#
># Granted, a real userlevel fs abstraction would be more desirable....
>#
># --
># -- Todd Vierling <tv@wasabisystems.com>  *  Wasabi NetBSD:  Run with it.
># -- CDs, Integration, Embedding, Support -- http://www.wasabisystems.com/
>#
>#
>
>
>				--*greywolf;
>--
>NetBSD: SIMMs Like Good Code.
>
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