Re: [9fans] dcp - a deep copy script, better than dircp

[Ethan Grammatikidis <eekee57@fastmail.fm>]

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:19:16 -0400
Dan Cross <crossd@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 11:02 AM, Ethan
> Grammatikidis<eekee57@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> > Sorry if that was a bit harsh, but I've had far too much 'advice' to 'just do this easy little thing'... Computers are supposed to supplement the brain, to help, not require more (and in some cases quite impossible) work. To file anything so you can find it again requires experience in filing that particular information type. I'm constantly dealing with new data...
>
> Not to criticize, but I think the suggestion that Steve is making is
> that, in order to better use the computer to supplement the brain and
> help, it's best to use the tools of this particular computer system in
> the most natural way, versus trying to use it as merely an improved
> Linux or Unix or what have you.

This is about my data, in files, on a filesystem. If Plan 9 has difficult restrictions in it's filesystem model then yeah, I have to use something else, but where else can I find namespaces and 9p? Ok, Inferno & Octopus; the latter I ought to have a look at, the former might work for me but I found Plan 9 a couple of years earlier, I feel a little bit more sure of where I am with Plan 9, and Inferno is frankly a bit messy. I suppose you guys think I'll make my Plan 9 installation 'a bit messy' if I carry on, eh? You may be right. :)

Ugh, you got me _thinking_. :) If you have time for a mini-essay on Plan 9 and human beings, read on.

What I really want to say is there's nothing natural about not letting user X reorganise his stuff. The world is change, the universe is changing constantly, if slowly. Humans are adapted to that change, some better than others, but more than that we're part of the changing world. We change, we grow, and we don't have all possible ideas pertaining to X the moment we acquire X. Some 'see' more than others, and quicker, and those I guess are better equipped to organize their data naturally as they acquire it, but give them a completely new field of data to work with and I'm sure they would initially be as disorganized as anyone else and would soon find they would have to reorganize.

I realize I don't want Plan 9 exactly as it is. I already knew I didn't want the available user interfaces _quite_ the way they are and this discussion provides me with something else to think about in that regard. However I do seriously want 9p, namespaces, process isolation, interface simplicity... The potential value these features have in relation to the goals I would like to achieve is incalculable! However, to achieve my goals I have to work with the rest of Plan 9. I have to bend it until I can use it to get where I want to go.

*sigh* Now you've got me thinking about seperate types of filesystems for user data and system data, or perhaps personal data and public data. I have other things to do, dammit. >:D


--
Ethan Grammatikidis

Those who are slower at parsing information must
necessarily be faster at problem-solving.