From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net>
In-reply-to: Your message of "Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:33:59 EDT."
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Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:02:36 -0700
From: Bakul Shah <bakul@bitblocks.com>
Message-Id: <20120717200236.39913B827@mail.bitblocks.com>
Subject: Re: [9fans] apparently nice summary of small linux pcs
Topicbox-Message-UUID: a2f6f00e-ead7-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:33:59 EDT erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net>  wrote:
> > > What would be possible is to build a general purpose
> > > building block. Something like this:
> > > - provide a tiny thread library
> > > - provide 9p over USB|serial|UDP
> > > - implement a simple 9p server framework & export a server
> > >   side interface where one can plug in sensor/actuator
> > >   specific routines and specify the FS layout via a string.
> > > - implement a namespace convention for discovering
> > >   capabilities (for example a "help/" dir)
> > > - it should be implementable as a verilog block some day!
> > >   may be not but imagining that keeps the design simple.
> > >
> > > Actually it doesn't have to be 9p. It can be something
> > > simpler.
> >
> > well, then do it if you think so.
>
> what i was trying to say before, is that there is already
> some research in the area.  it doesn't have to be proven possible.
>
> see:
>
> "9p for embedded devices" http://iwp9.inf.uth.gr/.
> and "levitating across the river styx"
> http://4e.iwp9.org/papers/levitation.pdf

I have read the styx papers. The concept is of course not new.
What I am talking about is packaging up as a reusable
component.  Specifically
- server side api
- ability to discover capabilities. no new client side drivers
  for each new device.

As for "simpler than 9p" I had a different thing in mind from
what is in various iwp9 papers. Not worth talking about in the
abstract.