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Date:      Tue, 23 Jun 1998 21:32:48 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Sean Eric Fagan <sef@kithrup.com>
To:        hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Heads up:  block devices to disappear!
Message-ID:  <199806240432.VAA23173@kithrup.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980623185331.13456F-100000.kithrup.freebsd.hackers@orkan.canonware.com>
References:  <199806240130.SAA06590@kithrup.com>

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In article <Pine.BSF.3.96.980623185331.13456F-100000.kithrup.freebsd.hackers@orkan.canonware.com> you write:
>Whoa, I'm confused now.  Sean, you appear to be saying that by removing
>block devices from FreeBSD, it is no longer possible to do direct,
>un-cached (i.e. raw) accesses.

Actually, I should have followed up myself - a big question is:  will all of
the benefits of block devices still be present?  If so, fine.

If not, this should be more carefully thought out.  I admit that the benefits
are fairly small -- but there are some advantages of block devices over
character devices.

Ideally, really, with DEVFS, there are only special files, not "block special"
or "character special" files.  (Better people than I have debated the merits
of having them at all, far more completely than I am willing or able to, so I
won't bother ;).)

I am not automatically opposed to this change... but I do question its worth.


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