Re: [9fans] venti ports and productization

[Martin C.Atkins <martin@parvat.com>]

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 09:05:31 -0700 Rob Pike <rob@mightycheese.com> wrote:
>
> you should make it protocol-compatible. can't be hard.
> ask for the details.

and On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 06:20:47 -0400 a@9srv.net wrote:
> the fact that it's not protocol-compatable does lower (but not
> totally eliminate) its value to me. if your version doesn't run
> on Plan 9 and host fossil, that does, as well. on the other hand,

I'll have a look at what it would take to make the protocol
compatible. Actually, one of the things I've chosen to do
differently makes the protocol incompatible (it changes the 'score',
in a way that I'd prefer not to discuss until I'm sure it is
desirable!) However, it might be possible to support the Venti
protocol simultaneously.

Rog's Inferno code looks like a good starting point for information
(thanks Rog!), although perhaps I could download the 'real thing'
now, without it influencing my ideas too much about how to approach
various design decisions. (I came across a 'Linux/BSD/etc CD' vendor
here in Bangalore last week, who listed Plan 9 as being available -
is there a Plan 9 UG in Bangalore?!)

> those first two points make me skeptical, but i'll be checking it
> out today. fix those two (so why didn't you use the venti code?)

I also wanted to be very certain that no Venti code found its
way into my implementation, lest I violate any copyrights.
Patents, are of course another issue. I have searched without finding
anything that seems relevant, but that is the problem with patents!

> even the ideas are worth a lot, and if you can put file systems
> on top of it (like fossil does, rather than just using it as an
> archival vault) that my unix systems can use, that's a big win.

I haven't any plans at the moment for a read-write filesystem, like
fossil, but I certainly aim to provide something like /backup.

> and provide a few tools my VP of Marketing can use, and get an
> OS X port, and i'll buy a few coppies.

We certainly intend that the system will be 'user-friendly', but in
the Unix sense, not the lots-of-icons Windows sense.

Martin

--
Martin C. Atkins				martin@parvat.com
Parvat Infotech (Private) Limited		http://www.parvat.com