Re: Supervisor mode & multitasking

[Anthony Jacques <jacquesa@zetnet.co.uk>]

Draco wrote:
> I am seeing it this way:
>
> - GEM should run as root. BTW. I'd like to have an AES daemon, which
>   activates only if a graphical shell (like Thing) is started.
> - GEM starts the shell (desktop). The desktop is also root.
> - the desktop executes some sort of GEM login, then switches uid/gid
>   to the selected one.

This certainly isn't the order it works in the text-based world - its
start kernel -> login -> start shell. Why should a GUI make any difference
to this basic order? What if different users wanted different shells? 

> So I think it might be useful to incorporate login code to Thing desktop
> (displaying MODAL dialog box at the beginning).

Why? a simple GEM based login program would be easy to write, and could be
ignored by Thing users who dont want a login prompt (eg me).

> This way we can avoid rewriting the whole GEM for multiuser, just to fix
> the desktop. 

I dont quite understand how this has any affect on GEM processes running, or
not running as root. Actually, I never have, but maybe thats just me...
If you would, please explain why the desktop is involved (assuming using
Thing etc, and not built in NewDesk), as this is simply just another GEM app.

> The question is, what to do with XBIOS. Shall be local user
> allowed to use it (for playing mp2 for example)?

I didn't know we had a XBIOS call for playing mp2s! Seriously though, I dont
see what difference it makes - appart from screwing up existing programs if
you choose that programs cannot access XBIOS.

Anthony
-- 
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Anthony Jacques           IRC: AnthonyJ | The boy stood on the burning deck
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jacquesa@zetnet.co.uk                   | Twit.           
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/jacquesa/ |                  (Spike Milligan)
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