New VMMaker/svn release

tim Rowledge tim at rowledge.org
Wed Jan 4 04:40:09 UTC 2006


On 3-Jan-06, at 2:21 PM, Andreas Raab wrote:

> tim Rowledge wrote:
>> On 29-Dec-05, at 12:00 PM, David T. Lewis wrote:
>>> Attachments (in zip file):
>>>
>>> platforms-win32-plugins-FilePlugin-sqWin32FilePrims.c.diff -  
>>> Change  Win32
>>>     FilePlugin to use session ID from the interpreter rather  
>>> than  generate its
>>>     own value (for consistency, and also so as not to break OSPP   
>>> for Win32).
>> OK, that is up to andreas - I couldn't commit it if I wanted to.
>
> Now that's interesting. I can fix that easy enough but I'm curious  
> as to the reason for having a "global" session ID instead of a  
> local one. I always found it advantageous that (in all likelyhood)  
> you couldn't use the session ID for a file interchangeably with the  
> session ID of a socket. And I must say that I find the idea of  
> exposing what essentially amounts to a "VM secret" to other plugins  
> quite peculiar.
>
> Can somebody remind what the intent of that change was? I'm sure  
> there must've been some reason for it but I think I've missed the  
> discussion of that feature.
We've discussed it several times on this list and others since  
(believe it or not, I was amazed) November. November 2001 that is...

Part of my liking of the idea is reducing code duplication and the  
concomitant likelihood of mis-duplication - think of it as a service  
the VM core offers plugins. Why is hiding one plugin's session ID  
useful? I can't immediately think of anything devious one could  
usefully do with this secret info.

Obviously one doesn't have to use this facility but I can't see any  
reason not to.

tim
--
tim Rowledge; tim at rowledge.org; http://www.rowledge.org/tim
A low level language is one whose programs require attention to the  
irrelevant.





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