Re: [zzdev] :zz: "OS theology

[Andrew Pam <xanni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, Oct 02, 1998 at 02:03:40AM +0900, Ted Nelson wrote:
> >I can't presently see any advantages to developing hardware device
> >drivers using the Zigzag structures, and considerable disadvantages.
> >Feel free to convince me otherwise with examples.
> 
> Hardly.  Let it stand as a religious statement:
> "Files (named lumps in fixed places, combining
>  various types of data), and hierarchical directories,
>  are grotesque and stupid structures whose
>  grotesquerie is not recognized because they are
>  so familiar.
> "Similarly, program and data references based
>  on string-scans of the names of such files and
>  directories, and on paths among them-- the
>  fundamental underlying referential structure of
>  all operating systems today-- is a mistake.
> "For discrete elements now packed into files,
>  as well as discrete references currently made
>  to files, directories, inodes, processes and whatnot,
>  cellular reference could be better;
> "ZZpaths provide a far more general referential
>  structure than pathnames.
> "The general alternative here is a world where
>  plexes of smaller discrete elements, connected through
>  ZZpaths, replace 'files' to a large extent, and where
>  ZZpaths become a more general referential structure
>  to replace OS pathnames."

I fully agree with you.  However, you are still addressing the
issue of structuring, filing, naming and retrieving of information,
all of which Zigzag is well suited to.  The point I was making was
about the unsuitability of Zigzag to low-level hardware control, a
completely different issue.  Files, directories, paths, inodes etc. are
all filesystem concepts, and may be used as an interface to devices; of
course we could replace this with a cell visualisation of (and interface
to) devices, which would still be provided by an operating system layer
which I believe is outside the direct scope of Zigzag.

Cheers,
	*** Xanni ***
-- 
mailto:xanni@xxxxxxxxxx                         Andrew Pam
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