From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v619) In-Reply-To: References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Message-Id: <120ECA23-2228-11D9-9370-000D9336F3FE@anvil.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Dave Lukes Subject: Re: [9fans] alright, this should be interesting Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:39:08 +0100 To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@cse.psu.edu> Topicbox-Message-UUID: f11cd528-eacd-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025 > (``they said i was daft to build > castle on swamp, but i built it all the same, just to show them''). > mind you, i suppose that's essentially what is done when an effective > distributed system is built on top of lots of cheap components that > often break down and fall into the swamp. Well ... you haven't quite extended the analogy far enough. The distributed system is city built on a large raft floating on the swamp, so if some odd bits fall off and some peasants die: so what? As long as either a) there's enough distributed control (it's a democracy/anarchy/whatever) or b) the central part of the raft containing the castle (i.e. the grid controller or whatever) is built on huge mushroom pilings, so it never falls into the swamp, the city(system) will keep on functioning. I can't believe I'm sending an email to 9fans talking about mushroom pilings. Can we get back to plan9, before I start ranting about shield anchors, please? DaveL.