From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id 6c9a9535 for ; Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:42:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 00473A1B01; Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:42:36 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0F702A1A6D; Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:42:05 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id D7DD7A1A6D; Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:42:02 +1000 (AEST) X-Greylist: delayed 1121 seconds by postgrey-1.35 at minnie.tuhs.org; Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:42:01 AEST Received: from nb3.reedmedia.net (nb3.reedmedia.net [71.19.148.35]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id E3678A1A6C for ; Sat, 29 Sep 2018 04:42:01 +1000 (AEST) Received: from [47.185.49.132] (helo=reedmedia.net) by nb3.reedmedia.net with esmtpa (Exim 4.89) (envelope-from ) id 1g5xQ9-0004lt-DE for tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org; Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:23:21 +0000 Received: from reed@reedmedia.net by reedmedia.net with local (mailout 0.17) id 16107-1538159001; Fri, 28 Sep 2018 13:23:22 -0500 Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2018 13:23:20 -0500 (CDT) From: "Jeremy C. Reed" X-X-Sender: reed@t1.m.reedmedia.net To: TUHS main list In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: <20180927120854.u8rei%ca6c@bitmessage.ch> User-Agent: Alpine 2.20 (NEB 67 2015-01-07) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Subject: Re: [TUHS] The origin of /home X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" On Fri, 28 Sep 2018, Tony Finch wrote: > > I intentionally eschew /home on a few systems. 4.4BSD had a convention of > > placing user home directories in /a, /b, etc. 4.4BSD-Lite also had > > /var/users. Both of which I occasionally use. > > The /a convention seems to go back quite a long way. I was looking through > old password files to see where the home directories were, e.g. > > https://www.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=4.1cBSD/etc/passwd > > has a lot of /a/guest whereas 4.3BSD has /usr/guest And the 4.3BSD docs show the /a, /b, /c https://www.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=4.3BSD/usr/man/man8/adduser.8 Traditionally, user files live on a file system different from /usr. Typically the user file systems are mounted on a directories in the root named sequentially starting from from the beginning of the alphabet, eg /a, /b, /c, etc. On each such file system there are subdirectories there for each group of users, i.e.: ``/a/staff'' and ``/b/prof''. This is not strictly necessary but keeps the number of files in the top level directories reasonably small. By the way, Berkeley early on (at time of the first Berkeley tape) had a separate /etc/htmp database to list user's home (or alternate home) directories (so didn't have to search "large password files" which were "unreasonably slow") and terminal type (part of the precursor to termcap). The home's then were like /mnt/staff/mosher, /mnt/quals/katseff, /mnt/chuck/, /mnt/jeff. Joy's early 2BSD csh docs show /mnt/bill and /usr/ken as "home directory" examples. And 3BSD's adduser docs show: Traditionally, user files live on the file system /mnt and there are subdirectories there for each group of users, i.e.: ``/mnt/staff'' and ``/mnt/prof''. This got changed for 4BSD (4.0BSD): Traditionally, user files live on a file system which has the machines single letter net(1) address as the first of two characters. Thus on the Berkeley CS Department VAX, whose Berknet address is ``csvax'' abbreviated ``v'' the user file systems are mounted on ``/va'', ``/vb'', etc. On each such filesystem there are subdirectories there for each group of users, i.e.: ``/va/staff'' and ``/vb/prof''. This is not strictly necessary but keeps the number of files in the top level directories reasonably small. (where net(1) is Schmidt's Berkeley Network) As for 4.3BSD the only reference I find of /home is from the aardvark game from Mike Urban of UCLA (/home/urban). (That is the earliest reference of a directory called /home/ I found.)