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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Message-Id: <199602102055.NAA16639@phaeton.artisoft.com>
Subject: Re: Netscape's lock
To: dbaker@cocoa.ops.neosoft.com (Daniel Baker)
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 13:55:06 -0700 (MST)
Cc: cp_nairn@cc.utas.edu.au, binhdo@cs.ubc.ca, questions@FreeBSD.org
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960210000444.6976A-100000@cocoa.ops.neosoft.com> from "Daniel Baker" at Feb 10, 96 00:05:46 am
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> Yah, netscape write a .lock file and deletes it upon close.  If you're 
> not running netscape, and just didn't shut it cleanly, you can just do a 
> rm ~/.netscape/.lock or ~/.netscape/lock whichever it is, i don't 
> remember..

This is broken.

NetScape should write a PID in the lock file, and when a potential
conflict arises (ie: the lockfile is already there), it needs to do:

	if( kill( lockpid, 0) && errno == ESRCH) {
		/*
		 * Kill will return -1 and set errno to ESRCH if
		 * the process does not exist.  It should ignore the
		 * lockfile in this case.
		 */

		/* delete lock file*/
		...

		goto retry;
	}

	/*
	 * Kill will return 0 if the process exists and you
	 * have permission to kill it.
	 *
	 * Kill will return -1 and set errno to EPERM if the
	 * process exists and *don't* have permission to kill it.
	 */

	 /* tell user about other process*/
	 ...

	 exit( ...);


					Terry Lambert
					terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.