> Also, is the size of the namespace list an issue? how does history(1) work in the face of a complicated namespace? we get buy now because the rules are pretty simple. if you want to find how the modifications to /386/lib/libc.a, you know where that is. if you bind 100 packages on top of /386/lib, it becomes necessary to deconstruct namespaces continually. the abstraction of namespace starts to break down.
i think it makes more sense to optimize for the common case — using packages, rather than the uncommon questions like "what's in this package". > > I'm thinking over the idea that we're bumping up against the practical > > limits > > of hierarchal file systems as a means for organising stuff, but I've no > > idea > > what else might work. > > Google's approach is not to bother sorting things out. Use searches > to find data you want. You can still do some sorting in things like > gmail, but you don't need to. what google uses for its search tables or custom applications might not be that interesting in the context of a general purpose operating system. - erik
