Re: Hurd IPC (client side)

[Neal H. Walfield]

> Whatever the macro is, the following wouldn't work:
> 
>   error_t (* f) (user_handle_t, uid_t, gid_t);
>   f = file_chown;
> 
> Right? ;)

True, but do we need that?  If so, then we can always change the macro
to an inline function that also has as implementation in libl4hurduser
or something like that.

> > But, what does it buy us other than overhead of remarshaling the
> > parameters?
> 
> Uniformity and ukernel-independence.  And overhead, but not so
> much. ;)

I am not convinced: what uniformity; and we can have ukernel
independence without this.

> Ok.  But with these macros, the above example does not work then (but is it
> really a problem?).

These macros are for the server side.  Like I said, the client side
mutations have not been written yet.

> BTW, what does "frob" mean?

>From foldoc:

     /frob'ni-kayt/ (Possibly from {frobnitz}, and usually
     abbreviated to {frob}, but "frobnicate" is recognised as the
     official full form).  To manipulate or adjust, to {tweak}.
     One frequently frobs bits or other 2-state devices.  Thus:
     "Please frob the light switch" (that is, flip it), but also
     "Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll break it".  One also sees
     the construction "to frob a frob".