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Date:      09 Oct 2002 12:08:53 -0700
From:      swear@attbi.com (Gary W. Swearingen)
To:        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: help with ln "linking" Please! [attn manpage authors!]
Message-ID:  <tnzntn4egq.ntn@localhost.localdomain>
In-Reply-To: <200210090909.g9999CW2083670@lurza.secnetix.de>
References:  <200210090909.g9999CW2083670@lurza.secnetix.de>

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Oliver Fromme <olli@secnetix.de> writes:

> Gary W. Swearingen <swear@attbi.com> wrote:
>  > ln [-fhinsv] linked_filename [link_filename]
>  > ln [-fhinsv] linked_filename ... dir_filename
>  > link existing_filename alternate_filename
>  > 
>  > This is cleaner, but I think "filename" should be standard in filenames.
> 
> But it is not a filename.

It's a string which is used by ln(1) and the kernel's directory software
for a filename; if people want to misuse it for storing PIDs or control
strings or MP3s, that's an abuse of the system which the manual shouldn't
bother to accommodate.

>  > Yuck; malloc.conf is nasty.
> 
> No, it's extremely useful and efficient.
...
> Also, symlinks are an easy way to atomically check and create
> lockfiles in shell scripts.

Useful, efficient, easy -- and yucky, nasty, kludgy.  Apt to break
if the directory scheme changes or to prevent improvements to same.

Maybe it should be:

    ln string_for_directory filename_to_access_string_by

Just kidding.  It can't end in a preposition.

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