Re: [9fans] AFS-client for Plan9 - ?

[nigel@9fs.org]

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Let me explain (and, yes, this is a quote from Fawlty Towers)

Programs which do not explicitly close flies before invoking exit() are
not

1) badly written

or

2) forcing Unix implementations to have to do close on exit to compensate

These are the defined semantics. So the reason is "because that's what
the program quite reasonably expects".

Just in the same way that you don't have to free all memory before
calling exit, unless, as in td's words "they've changed that since I
last looked".  I know "they" did for 16 bit Windows applications, and
it's certainly the case for semaphores in Unix.

> Grr... OK, let me rephrase it:
> 
> 	I really doubt that there is (or ever was) a UNIX variant that
> would not do close-on-exit. Reason: lots and lots of programs that would
> kill such system with file leaks.


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From: Alexander Viro <viro@math.psu.edu>
To: Tom Duff <td@pixar.com>
Cc: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] AFS-client for Plan9 - ?
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 19:31:13 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0011141923210.5482-100000@weyl.math.psu.edu>



On Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Tom Duff wrote:

> > Precisely. And any kernel that will try _not_ to do that will die under the
> > leaks produced by the $BIGNUM of applications expecting it do act as any
> > sane UNIX should.
> Which UNIX version lacks this behavior?
> (Or are you trying to run UNIX programs
> on some non-UNIX?)

Grr... OK, let me rephrase it:

	I really doubt that there is (or ever was) a UNIX variant that
would not do close-on-exit. Reason: lots and lots of programs that would
kill such system with file leaks.

IOW, "not likely" was about "some numskull changed it" part - such attempt
would backfire immediately. We are in violent agreement...