OCD programmers and backwards compatibility :-).

[Les Mikesell]

Alan wrote:
>> Sounds like a better example of why linux should be more interested
>> in backwards compatibility than it seems to be now. Why change the /dev
>> names just because the underlying mechanism changes?
>>     
>
> The /dev names are not set by the kernel but by convention. If you wish
> to call your first SCSI disk /dev/wombat you can, and the kernel doesn't
> mind at all.
>   
How do you make that happen as the devices are autodetected?  I'd much 
prefer
to have things identified by controller/drive/lun where applicable than 
to have
everything jump around when a new device appears and happens to be
detected first.

>> I can tell the only reason was a bunch of OCD programmers who broke
>> into a sweat every time they saw a directory named /usr/X11R6 instead
>> of /usr/share/X11 :-). The software worked just as well with either
>>     
>
> They assumed anyone with an IQ of about 30 or higher could use "ln -s"
>   

In other words they didn't care how much of how many people's time they 
wasted.  Just
so they could make names that sounded cute to them.  This sort of 
user-hostility can only
help Windows/OSX's market share.

-- 
  Les Mikesell
   lesmikesell at gmail.com