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Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 14:37:33 -0700
From: Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
Organization: Whistle Communications
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To: Jason Alan Nordwick <nordwick@scheme.xcf.berkeley.edu>
CC: Jacques Hugo <jacques@wired.ctech.ac.za>, questions@FreeBSD.ORG,
        hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: damn, damn, damn ... getting confused here.
References: <344476E5.31DFF4F5@wired.ctech.ac.za> <19971015203230.7404.qmail@scheme.xcf.berkeley.edu>
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Jason Alan Nordwick wrote:
> 
> Jacques Hugo, on Wed 10/15/1997, wrote the following:
> >
> > Hi there ... hope you can help.
> >
> > What is the difference between a device like
> >       /dev/vn0 and /dev/vn0c ??
> >
> > What does the 'c' mean?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > -Jacques
> 
> IT is a character device, rather than a block device.
no it is not.
it is a dummy partition to maintain compatibility
because some software assumes there will be a 'c' 
partition that represents the whole device.

> 
> I understand the distinction between raw and cooked (old
> terminolgy ?), but besides tty's, is there any other form of
> "cooked" devices ?
not really, but disks are block or raw (char).
tapes can (not in freeBSD) have a block interface.

> 
> jay
> --
> Join the FreeBSD Revolution!
> http://xcf.berkeley.edu/~nordwick