From owner-freebsd-hackers Fri Jul 3 08:58:48 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id IAA15335 for freebsd-hackers-outgoing; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 08:58:48 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from elvis.vnet.net (elvis.vnet.net [166.82.1.5]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id IAA15326 for ; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 08:58:44 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from rivers@dignus.com) Received: from dignus.com (ponds.vnet.net [166.82.177.48]) by elvis.vnet.net (8.8.8/8.8.4) with ESMTP id LAA04067; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 11:58:30 -0400 (EDT) Received: from lakes.dignus.com (lakes [10.0.0.3]) by dignus.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA16386; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 12:25:01 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from rivers@localhost) by lakes.dignus.com (8.8.8/8.6.9) id LAA18542; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 11:56:44 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 11:56:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Thomas David Rivers Message-Id: <199807031556.LAA18542@lakes.dignus.com> To: mike@smith.net.au, rivers@dignus.com Subject: Re: Variant Link implementation, continued Cc: drosih@rpi.edu, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, jkh@time.cdrom.com In-Reply-To: <199807021813.LAA01087@antipodes.cdrom.com> Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG > > > > > So, given my experience - I'd prefer to not have this feature > > in FreeBSD... I'd suggest, at least, a mechanism (vis sysctl var?) > > to globally disable it at an installation... > > How about "just don't use it"? The point here is that it's an enabling > technology, not an intentional constriction of freedom. If you don't > want it or can't manage it properly, you don't have to use it. > Certainly sounds reasonable - can you think of a way to not accidently use it... I mean, if you use, say '$' to indicate the value should come from an environment variable, then you restrict the name space allowed for other symlinks... Granted, it's outstandingly unintelligent on UNIX to use '$' in the name of a directory or file, but, I happen to have such things because of some mainframe issues; where '$' makes a lot of sense... So, in our environment, I'd prefer another mechanism... Unfortunately, I'd imagine the interecting set of interesting characters to mark an environment variable with is pretty close to empty. So - I'd be interested in seeing proposals that allow for a way to "not use it." I would have thought a sysctl variable would be a good way to "not use it." - Dave Rivers - To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message