From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Date: Fri,  3 Aug 2012 19:18:47 +0200
From: tlaronde@polynum.com
To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net>
Message-ID: <20120803171847.GA2720@polynum.com>
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Subject: [9fans] Multi-dimensional filesystem
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Hello,

This is mainly a theoretical question.

While playing with the representation of mathematical definitions as a
file hierarchy (at dot you find a DESC or whatever named file with the
description, and the subdirs are simply more restrictive instances of
the thing; say : collection -> magma -> mono=EFde -> group etc.), it is
soon obvious that a filesystem is a one dimension thing: you only follow
one string. Multiple "parents" at the same level are not there.

One could trick partly using hard or soft links. But with always the
same problem: who is dot-dot, in a case where multiple parents are here?
And multiple parents are not, to my knowledge, supported by kernel
filesystem code. Manipulating the namespace is not the same.

Has someone ever played with the notion of a multidimensional
filesystem, where '/' is the origin, the nodes would be some=20
representation of (a, b, c,...) (even negatives perhaps), each node=20
having a name (user defined one by the way), and if
a node is, say (3, 0, 1,...) this means that it is to be found as the
third subdir of the (1, 0, 0,...) path etc., (In this scheme, if there=20
is no link (no path) from another notion, it is another dimension).

Just for intellectual curiosity.

Best,
--=20
        Thierry Laronde <tlaronde +AT+ polynum +dot+ com>
                      http://www.kergis.com/
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