Re: Re: [9fans] APE fork()

[erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net>]

i couldn't find the references to vfork i was looking for quickly with google;
they were lost in vast arguments about vfork bugs.

- erik

On Sat Aug 12 14:54:40 CDT 2006, forsyth@terzarima.net wrote:
> > I always thought vfork was introduced because
> > copy-on-write hadn't been invented yet.
> > 
> > It's the only logical explanation.
> 
> no, it was because they chose not to implement copy on write.
> it had been invented long before that.
> in fact, i found copy on write at least as easy to do for unix
> as the grunge required for vfork (and it was more generally useful).
> on some architectures you need to use copy on reference.
> their paging data structures might have made it more difficult, i suppose;
> they had them upside down compared to unix's requirements.
> 
> vfork also was specified so that if you relied on the sharing
> except to implement a non-sharing fork, the effect was undefined.