Subject: Re: Slow output from 'ps'
To: Chris G Demetriou <Chris_G_Demetriou@lagavulin.pdl.cs.cmu.edu>
From: Perry E. Metzger <perry@imsi.com>
List: current-users
Date: 07/02/1995 04:12:31
Chris G Demetriou writes:
> I have several comments on this:
[...]
> 	(2) making procfs mandatory adds bloat to the kernel.

I sort of feel that if you are going to have it at all you might as
well use it for stuff like ps -- and if you aren't going to use it for
stuff like ps then why have it? As it stands, procfs is a cute proof
of concept, but doesn't actually do anything for you. (kernfs is
similar). Unless it is mandatory, no programs will use it, but with
nothing using it the mechanism is pointless.

To summarize, if it isn't being used, why have it at all? If you are
going to have it at all, why not make it mandatory and use it?

BTW, kernfs, procfs, the sysctl stuff, and /dev/kmem crawling all seem
to overlap on the functionality Venn diagram. Unix usually provides
one good way to do something, and we seem to be accumulating lots of
cute ways to do things that aren't being used.


Perry