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List:       linux-kernel
Subject:    Re: Patch to fix /proc/net files.
From:       Matthias Welwarsky <matze () stud ! fbi ! fh-darmstadt ! de>
Date:       1998-10-28 14:43:20
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Vojtech Pavlik wrote:
> 
> On Wed, Oct 28, 1998 at 01:10:24PM +0000, Alan Cox wrote:
> > > This patch should convert /proc/net/{raw,tcp,udp} so that the various
> > > IP addresses therein are shown in dotted quad format rather than in
> > > little-endian hex integers.
> >
> > Changing the format is an even worse idea
> 
> * Changing the format is a bad idea.
> * Leaving things as they are is a bad idea.
> * Just changing the endianity is a bad idea.
> 
> Hmm, is there anything else to do except going with a bad idea then?
> 

Guess no. After all the format isn't that bad, maybe it is not human
readable but as changing the format would break existing binaries, this
should be taken very carefully. I suggested changing the endianess to
network byte order, but Andreas is quite right in pointing out, that
using htonl() on application level would be the more sensible solution.

So, I think the right way is not to have the /proc/net/* stuff be very
descriptive but informative, just like the new /proc/pci implementation

Gruss,
	Matthias

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