Should \"ls -R\" traverse symlinks?

[Root Boy Jim]

? From: Jonathan <jonathan at comp.vuw.ac.nz>

? Pyramid's OSx is a dual-universe Un*x implemented using conditional symbolic
? links---symlinks that contain the names of two files, one each for the bsd
? and att universe. For instance, /bin is a csymlink to .ucbbin and .attbin,
? respectively.

The dual-universe was perhaps a useful concept when it was introduced,
but I think it creates more problems than it solves. A more useful
concept would be dual galaxys.

The problem comes when porting code from other systems which include
features from both universes. Even though it's all there, include files
and librarys from the other universe are hard to get to.

We solved this problem (on a Sequent, see below) by crosslinking all
include files in each universe that didn't conflict with each other,
and by linking libucb.a and libatt.a to the appropriate real librarys
in both universes.

? Are there any other systems that use conditional symbolic links?
? Do Sequent systems deal with this issue, and if so, how?  Are there
? any heterogenous distributed systems that use conditional symbolic links?

Sequent uses the dual-universe concept, implemented with csymlinks.
Their implementation was based on Doug Gwyn's System V environment
for BSD systems (presumably it has a better name than that). In a private
communication, he said he preferred Sun's (and presumably that of Ultrix
and other vendors) approach: whatever mishmash of features you provide,
make it into one integrated whole. I am sure that if I have misstated
his views, he will let everyone know.

There is also a readclink call that gets both names, and the lstat
command returns a funny bit somewhere denoting a csymlink.

? Discussion, anyone?? 

No, but how about some arguments and flames :-?

? sane mailers: jonathan at comp.vuw.ac.nz |    NZ Industrial democracy:
? UUCP path: ...!uunet!vuwcomp!jonathan |           One factory, one vote!

	Root Boy Jim is what I am
	Are you what you are or what?