Very Computer

accounting to new input and output devices, the possibility of more than
1 keyboard/mouse per logical terminal etc., we need other /dev/tty*
semantics.

my suggestion would be as following: (eg for tty1)

/dev/term01/audio01, mixer01
  same for audio02, if another sound input/output available.
/dev/term01/keyboard01, keyboard02, ...
  first,second,... keyboard (usb, at and ps/2 connector)
/dev/term01/bcr01
  barcode reader
/dev/term01/mouse01
  mouse devices
/dev/tty1
  symlink to /dev/term01/tty.
  combines the keyboard* as input channels

most of these devices could be symlinks to the existing /dev/audio01 and
so on.
OR the devices are moved in these directories.

if i want to use my ps/2 and an usb keyboard for one terminal, i could
make a link to /dev/usb/keyboardxxxx (or whatever).

programs will have fds 0,1,2 open on /dev/term*/tty

better ideas/suggestions?

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

  Etienne.

Quote:> > better ideas/suggestions?

>   Maybe have a look at devfs, a "virtual filesystem"
>  for "/dev", a la "/proc".
>  You will find hits on linux-kernel list.

Phil

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

 Usually on Unix, you do not care where is your device, like
 HD, tape backuper, sound card - on your PC or somewhere in
 your network (you know, the 3 PCs in front of you); you
 just have to setup your network as you like (the first PC
 will handle the keyboard because it is good at it, the second
 will handle the graphic card and display device, and you are
 working on the third one). The most amasing thing it that it
 _is used_ and works (complete remote control) - do you plan
 to change that ? and why ?

  Etienne.

Quote:>   IHMO "login, tty, (glibc?)" do not have anywhere the path of your
I/O
>  device hardcoded - just the mknod numbers (defined by #include<>), so
>  they do not need to be changed between very different Unixes.

>  Usually on Unix, you do not care where is your device, like
>  HD, tape backuper, sound card - on your PC or somewhere in
>  your network (you know, the 3 PCs in front of you); you
>  just have to setup your network as you like (the first PC
>  will handle the keyboard because it is good at it, the second
>  will handle the graphic card and display device, and you are
>  working on the third one). The most amasing thing it that it
>  _is used_ and works (complete remote control) - do you plan
>  to change that ? and why ?

I think that login must be changed because the entire /dev/term* tree
needs to be chown()ed if someone logs in. And I think that there are
many other places where something like this could be happening.

As a move from /dev/tty* to /dev/term*/ makes some assumptions in a lot
of everybody's programs (eg shellscripts /dev/`tty`) wrong AND some
software (mostly  in the regions of kde, gnome, x11 ... graphical stuff
for the users) has to get updated too, this move must be stepped.

so 1st step: make /dev/term*/, populate it, and leave a link (or even
the device file) as /dev/tty*, and incrementally change the software.

BUT: as I said before, it is a lot of work - so I'd like comments before
anything gets done.

regards

phil

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[...]

Quote:>I think that login must be changed because the entire /dev/term* tree
>needs to be chown()ed if someone logs in. And I think that there are
>many other places where something like this could be happening.