4BSD is dead???

[Eric Bergan]

> That's well and good, but there is a crucial difference between features that
> are implemented differently and features that are omitted.  For example,
> I am involved in some software development that relies on the 4.2bsd
> select() call, (select() blocks on multiplexed input). As near as I can tell,
> SYSV allows NO way to block on input from more than one file descriptor, short
> of doing a poll loop (yuch!).  Select() is a MAJOR feature missing from SYSV
> (which apparently is part of V8).  If SYSV offered a comparable feature, even
> with a different interface, I would be more than willing to #ifdef my code to
> make it portable to SYSV.  But I can't, because the feature is missing from
> SYSV.

	System V rel 3 introduces the "poll" system call, which I understand
does pretty much the same thing as "select". While one could have wished
that they had stuck with the BSD syntax, at least they are providing
functionality. I also heard that the release of streams in V.3 will
include a "socket library" which is supposed to keep existing socket
based applications working.

-- 

					eric
					...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplcen!osiris!eric