Subject: Re: kern/642: lstat() returns wrong inode for symlink?
To: None <netbsd-bugs@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Collatz.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 12/16/1994 09:52:42
> In 4.4-Lite, symlinks appear to have the inode number and time stamps
> of the directory they're in.  This is allegedly a feature, though I'm
> starting to think it's one of the silliest changes I've seen yet.

The idea, from my (minimal) understanding of it, is that symlinks may
become non-inode entities, and that this is preparatory to that.

Personally, my two cents on this is that it's a bad idea: an entity
that occupies an inode should, I would say, appear to occupy that
inode.  And an entity that does not occupy an inode definitely should
not appear to occupy that inode.  If and when symlinks become non-inode
entities, I would say they should return inumber 0 or -1 or some other
otherwise impossible value rather than taking on the inumber of the
directory they appear in.

But then, it's not as if consutling me is a necessary part of any
filesystem changes or anything :-)

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu