Re: Idea: Filesystem signals

From: Adam (adams_forum_at_yahoo.ca)
Date: 08/22/04 

Date: 21 Aug 2004 17:53:23 -0700

> > Some file managers do reflect the changes automatically; but it's my
> > guess that these programs continually poll the currently displayed
> > directory every second or so to see whether it has changed.
>
> Most of them use famd, the File Alteration Monitor Daemon.

Cool! Sorry, I didn't know about famd. It seems like it doesn't do
polling, either - could it be that UNIX-based systems are the only
ones to handle file refreshing properly?

I'll have to remember to submit bug reports next time I use a program
which doesn't automatically refresh its file listing.

> > I'm wondering what people think of following idea. Whenever a file
> > in the computer's filesystem is changed, a signal is sent to all
> > processes. Maybe best is for the signal to include (somehow) the
> > specific file that was modified.
>
> Crap. I don't want to slow down each and every process in my computer
> whenever any file changes. Most processes don't even want to be
> notified of this.

That's why I said nothing would happen unless the process provided a
signal handler.