Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 17:38:02 -0800 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: "Brian T.Schellenberger" <bts@babbleon.org> Cc: Paul Fardy <pdfardy@mac.com>, current@FreeBSD.ORG, stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Junior Annoying Hacker Task Message-ID: <3C5B42FA.858F36A8@mindspring.com> References: <5F46C986-16DB-11D6-8CEC-00039359034A@mac.com> <3C5B3225.F04B9B18@mindspring.com> <20020202005621.841F4406A@i8k.babbleon.org>
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"Brian T.Schellenberger" wrote: > > Does someone want to write a "registry editor" program? > > Yuch. Why? Clearly, you are not a "Junior Annoying Hacker". > > The point of the program would be to edit the "FreeBSD > > Registry", rc.conf, and make it look just like the Windows > > Registry in the editor, using "_" as the implied path > > component/terminal component (key) seperator. > > You are surely insane. Or trying to make a point which isn't true, which is > pretty similar. OK, say we view it as "read only", except for the editor (note "the editor" might be "vi", so you can't complain 8-)). How is path-to-file + path-to-key-in-file any different than absolute-path-to-key? The only thing that seems different is the implied component seperator at the file/file-content boundary, and the translation of the "_" into the file space component seperator, and back. It's all just a matter of represntational geometry for the same information, isn't it? > No, there's are enormous differences: > > - There's a well-known plain-text file so it can be readily backed up and > restored. regedit Registry Export Registry File... backup<CR> regedit Registry Import Registry File... backup<CR> > - There is not a single point of failure for all progams; it only controls > basic system functions and services, it does not control applications, so if > it fails, your applications aren't all screwed up, and if your applications > screw up terribly they can't corrupt your basic system. firewall_enable="NO" 8-) 8-). > Indeed, the lack of an API to *write* to /etc/rc.conf is one of it's greatest > strengths: It is far less vulnerable to major corruption if things go nutty. "vi"? "sed"? "any text editor"? The lack of constraints on how one may interact with the rc.conf is one of its main weaknesses. A single missing quotation mark will result in an inaccessible system, if you don't have console access, and one that must be repaired, if you do. There's not even a "virc" equivalent to "vipw", that can do a consistency check on the file to make sure it's "sourceable" by a shell script, before permitting the edits to replace the valid contents, and keep a backup of the previous file for you. Alternately, we can just call a spade a spade, and admit that what we have is a flat file registry, which pretends to be hierarchical by using "_" as a hierachy delimiter for component seperation. Actually, this is a lot like the Manx subdirectory support in the shell program that came with the developement environment, and used "topdir/subdir/finaldir" as the name of the directory, and simply hid the names of all but the last component. 8-). -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
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