Everything I know about file locking[1], I've learned from the short chapter on it in "Beginning Linux Programming" (WROX Press), part of a chapter that I've only skimmed in "UNIX Systems Programming for SYSVr4" (O'Reilly), and from the manual pages to `fcntl', `flock', `lockf', `open', and `lockfile'. There is doubtless information in the "POSIX Programmer's Guide" (O'Reilly), also, but I've not started that one yet.[2]
mis en place: I know that there are several stand-alone programs for handling file-locking, and that the `procmail' package has a fairly good setup for that. INND apparently does as well; as does `mgetty-fax'. `lockfile' --> procmail `shlock' --> innd `newslock' --> mgetty-fax There is also: publib-0.26/liw/lockfile/* ** Publib looks like it might already be the library needing to be created that was mentioned earlier... or at least a very good start. `sysid' --> util-linux libuuid.so --> libuuid It would seem to me that things like this could be gleaned from the sources to many programs, and put together into a shared library. That will take a lot of work, for certain. What's in Midnight Commander? Q: Who will do the work? I am doubtful of my own ability to be of much help... I'd like to see what gets done by the programmer though. Did I miss anything? I'm reading INND manuals today... I want to learn how to set up a news box, so I'm going to fill a partition with a spool. (I wonder if I'll have it working by dark?) Footnotes: [1] I'm a beginner C programmer... strike that. Not programmer, but code reader, or person who attempts to understand code. ;-) [2] It's someplace within a heap of books... the heap without bookmarks stuck inside any of the first few chapters, yet. -- Karl M. Hegbloom <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.inetarena.com/~karlheg Portland, OR USA Debian GNU 1.3 Linux 2.1.36 AMD K5 PR-133 -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .