From owner-freebsd-arch@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Mar 28 17:37:05 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-arch@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6732316A4CE for ; Sun, 28 Mar 2004 17:37:05 -0800 (PST) Received: from smtp3.server.rpi.edu (smtp3.server.rpi.edu [128.113.2.3]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 216D943D31 for ; Sun, 28 Mar 2004 17:37:05 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from drosih@rpi.edu) Received: from [128.113.24.47] (gilead.netel.rpi.edu [128.113.24.47]) by smtp3.server.rpi.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i2T1b343001108; Sun, 28 Mar 2004 20:37:04 -0500 Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Sender: drosih@mail.rpi.edu Message-Id: In-Reply-To: <200403280808.i2S88aJ7016011@dungeon.home> References: <20040325070120.GA67497@VARK.homeunix.com> <1a9c01c41359$b3da45e0$7890a8c0@dyndns.org> <200403280808.i2S88aJ7016011@dungeon.home> Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 20:37:01 -0500 To: Stephen McKay , arch@freebsd.org From: Garance A Drosihn Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" X-Scanned-By: CanIt (www . canit . ca) Subject: Re: posix ps (was Re: Adding `pgrep' and `pkill' to /usr/bin) X-BeenThere: freebsd-arch@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion related to FreeBSD architecture List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 01:37:05 -0000 At 6:08 PM +1000 3/28/04, Stephen McKay wrote: >On Saturday, 27th March 2004, Garance A Drosihn wrote: > >>>$ PERSONALITY=freebsd ps -? >> >> Secondly, I personally am not fond of commands which COMPLETELY >> change their behavior based on environment variables. Different >> options, different formats, different rules. > >Unifying ps on all Unices (including FreeBSD) is an excellent idea, >and I fully support this. > >Using an environment variable (no matter what name is used) to >switch between radically different personalities is an appalling >idea. No script can depend on the output of ps thereafter. Fwiw, I do have plans to improve `ps' some more, but no intention for adding dramatic personality changes based on any environment variable. If the next version of POSIX/SUS describes such a variable, *then* we'll consider supporting it. That is the only context where it makes sense, imo. That's just my personal option, based on my previous experience with such variables. Note that I'll probably be tied up with "other matters" until April 15th or so, so don't expect to hear too much from me in the immediate future. -- Garance Alistair Drosehn = gad@gilead.netel.rpi.edu Senior Systems Programmer or gad@freebsd.org Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute or drosih@rpi.edu