From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=MAILING_LIST_MULTI, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 11731 invoked from network); 4 Jun 2020 06:27:48 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 4 Jun 2020 06:27:48 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 0245E9CB0C; Thu, 4 Jun 2020 16:27:45 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DC8C69C600; Thu, 4 Jun 2020 16:27:18 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 7018B9C600; Thu, 4 Jun 2020 16:27:16 +1000 (AEST) Received: from freefriends.org (freefriends.org [96.88.95.60]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id DF7469C1C8 for ; Thu, 4 Jun 2020 16:27:13 +1000 (AEST) X-Envelope-From: arnold@skeeve.com Received: from freefriends.org (freefriends.org [96.88.95.60]) by freefriends.org (8.14.7/8.14.7) with ESMTP id 0546RBBL020426 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=NOT); Thu, 4 Jun 2020 00:27:11 -0600 Received: (from arnold@localhost) by freefriends.org (8.14.7/8.14.7/Submit) id 0546RAMW020424; Thu, 4 Jun 2020 00:27:10 -0600 From: arnold@skeeve.com Message-Id: <202006040627.0546RAMW020424@freefriends.org> X-Authentication-Warning: frenzy.freefriends.org: arnold set sender to arnold@skeeve.com using -f Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2020 00:27:10 -0600 To: jnc@mercury.lcs.mit.edu, gnu@toad.com References: <20200602201334.95D9718C079@mercury.lcs.mit.edu> <8066.1591233892@hop.toad.com> In-Reply-To: <8066.1591233892@hop.toad.com> User-Agent: Heirloom mailx 12.5 7/5/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: [TUHS] non-blocking IO: Simplicity has been subtituted for efficiency X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" John Gilmore wrote: > I just happened to open a binder today of old papers about UNIX(tm), > including Ken Thompson's "Unix Implementation" paper, which says at the > bottom of the introduction: > > "What is or is not implemented in the kernel represents both a great > responsibiity and a great power. It is a soap-box platform on "the > way things should be done." Even so, if "the way" is too radical, no > one will follow it. Every important decision was weighted carefully. > Throughout, simplicity has been substituted for efficiency. Complex > algorithms are used only if their complexity can be localized." Words to live by. I remember reading that paper early on in my career and that this statement certainly influenced my subsequent thinking about programming in general. Arnold