RE: On PATH_MAX

[Christopher Nelson]

> > Assuming that the server's service requires the filename 
> (perhaps it 
> > is a filesystem server, or perhaps it is a photo album 
> server... Both 
> > services are equivalent in this example.) then of course it has to 
> > process the filename.  At some point someone has to 
> actually process 
> > the filename.  Otherwise there's no point in having it.
> 
> The name is for you to know what is in the file. The server 
> does not need the name to know that.

Eventually, some server needs to know the filename.  How else is the
file mapped to its content?  If you are using a hierarchical filesytem,
*someone* has to walk the filename to get to the data.  If you are using
an object-based, single-level store, you *still* have to identify some
objects with human friendly names.  That is symbolically analagous to a
filename.  So while not *everyone* needs to know it, and some point some
server has to know it.  

-={C}=-