Re: [Monotone-devel] Re: current multiple heads (was Re: write access to my public server)

[Jon Bright]

graydon hoare wrote:

> the controlled method is very simple: a file called .mt-nonce goes in 
> the working copy which contains some respectably large number (say 4096) 
> of random bits. a new command -- "monotone bump" -- generates a new set 
...
> I won't be implementing this in time for 0.12, but it strikes me as 
> quite feasible within the 0.13 timeframe. does anyone object? it's a 
> kludge, but a simple and obvious one.

Are these cryptographically random bits?  If so, using that many random 
bits does sound like a bit of a recipe for draining the machine's 
entropy pool (particularly on unattended remote machines that don't have 
the advantage of keyboard/mouse input).

Would generating a GUID perhaps be easier?  It'd certainly be less 
entropy-hungry.  And there's lots of pre-existing stuff about for 
dealing with GUIDs...

--
Jon Bright
Silicon Circus Ltd.
http://www.siliconcircus.com