Re: A couple of questions

[Hans Reiser <reiser@namesys.com>]

pcg( Marc)@goof(A.).(Lehmann )com wrote:

>On Thu, May 16, 2002 at 05:23:42PM -0400, Kuba Ober <kuba@mareimbrium.org> wrote:
>  
>
>>What I'm thinking of is this:
>>to the user, which most users w/o intimate filesystem knowledge won't be able 
>>to answer at all?
>>    
>>
>
>Unix traditionally wasn't aimed at the point-and-click users without
>knowledge.
>
>  
>
>>Looking at this list, what people want is to get their data 
>>back, as much as possible. They never want to get less than that. Why bother 
>>asking?
>>    
>>
>
>Users who know nothing can still be told to just press "y". Even better,
>somebody with some knowledge about the filesystem (and the contents!)
>layout can often do better with an interactive fsck (see ext2fs).
>
>I don't think it makes sense to enhance the dumb-user-mode while at the same
>time keeping informed users from working properly.
>
>  
>
>>that is what many unsuspecting users actually do. It should simply disregard 
>>read errors and try using whatever data there is in ok-read blocks.
>>    
>>
>
>It should actually ask the user wether she wants the block to be repaired
>(if possible), or permanently marked defect.
>
>  
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>>I don't think that asking too many questions is worth it. He who runs fsck in 
>>"fix" mode wants his data back (whatever is left of it).
>>    
>>
>
>Thats a big mistake. He who runs fsck wants to recover as much data as
>possible. Sometimes maybe more than fsck alone can do.
>
>  
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>>recovery stuff should be w/o questions in my opinion. At least that's what 
>>I'd expect all fsck's to do.
>>    
>>
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>for some strange reason no fsck behaves like that.
>
>  
>
Actually, I think Kuba makes a good point.  I will ask some questions 
about exactly when do we ask the user a question more than once.

I am a filesystems developer, and I don't know enough to do more than 
press y with most fscks.  I think that for the most part, if one is 
going to ask the user to help, one needs to provide a real interface, a 
filesystem structure editor.....  which no FS has ever done....  but 
right now we need to get what we have debugged thoroughly.  It is on the 
list of things I would like to add someday.

Hans