Re: ed

From	cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross)
Newsgroups	comp.unix.shell
Subject	Re: ed
Date	2026-06-10 23:48 +0000
Organization	PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID	<110ct4u$n7d$1@reader1.panix.com> (permalink)
References	<slrn112c9fb.2pa2.zaydm@new.localdomain> <1109qej$2vlaa$1@dont-email.me> <110abmr$ckmk$12@dont-email.me> <110cmrj$32trj$1@dont-email.me>

Show all headers | View raw

In article <110cmrj$32trj$1@dont-email.me>,
John McCue  <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
>Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>> On Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:44:19 -0000 (UTC), John McCue wrote:
>> 
>>> There is one use for ed(1), when I boot NetBSD into single user
>>> mode, ed(1) is the only one available without jumping through hoops.
>> 
>> Why is that? Is it because NetBSD still has the legacy root-versus-usr
>> separation of executables and libraries?
>
>From what I have seen, seems Linux does not have a real single
>user mode.  But I think that is OK for Linux.

Hmm, boot with `init=/bin/sh` is probably pretty close.

>NetBSD and the other BSDs have real single user mode where no
>file systems are mounted, no daemons are started and root is
>mounted RO.  NetBSD boots into /bin/sh or a shell of your
>choice and you work from that, no login needed.  Also I think
>only static executables are available for use.

Dynamic executables can be used, provided the shared objects
are available.  "Single user mode" really just means that the
full boot sequence hasn't run and a shell got started on the
console; it doesn't change much else (all of the mounting of
filesystems and so on happens in a startup script)..

>I do not know what "legacy root-versus-usr" means, I would
>never want a system that does not have a clear separation
>between root and users.

Lawrence is a known troll.  I'm sure he's referring to the
split between `/bin` and `/usr/bin` etc.  Ie, why have some
things on the root filesystem (`/bin`) and others in the `/usr`
filesystem (`/usr/bin`).  There is an answer; it's historical.
`/usr` is actually the _user_ filesystem; that's where home
directories went.  And there was more space on that device than
on the device that contained `/`, so `/usr/bin` was born for
binaries that were too big to fit on `/bin`.

Several systems have more or less done away with the split, now
that disk is plentiful.  Linux and Solaris spring to mind;
others keep the split for organizational purposes.  It doesn't
really say anything about a system, however, beyond what
aesthetics its users and maintainers subscribe to.

	- Dan C.

Thread

ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Zayd Mohammed <zaydm@172.24.208.1> - 2026-06-08 02:16 +0000
  Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-08 04:46 +0200
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-08 13:44 +0000
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2026-06-08 14:12 +0000
        Re: ed. cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-08 19:30 +0000
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-08 14:40 -0700
        Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. groenveld@acm.org (John D Groenveld) - 2026-06-09 00:04 +0000
        Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Adam Sampson <ats@offog.org> - 2026-06-09 01:50 +0100
        Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-09 16:47 +0200
          Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-09 16:41 -0700
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Ben Collver <bencollver@tilde.pink> - 2026-06-09 14:27 +0000
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Eric Pozharski <apple.universe@posteo.net> - 2026-06-08 22:28 +0000
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Lumin Etherlight <lumin+usenet@etherlight.link> - 2026-06-09 03:25 +0300
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Daniel Cerqueira <dan.list@lispclub.com> - 2026-06-09 09:47 +0100
        Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Joerg Mertens <joerg-mertens@t-online.de> - 2026-06-09 15:53 +0200
          Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Daniel Cerqueira <dan.list@lispclub.com> - 2026-06-09 21:00 +0100
          Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-09 16:29 -0700
            Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-11 08:39 +0200
              Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-11 13:40 -0700
                Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-12 16:56 +0200
                Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-12 15:22 -0700
                Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-13 00:58 +0200
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-09 17:57 +0200
  Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-06-08 22:57 +0000
  Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Lumin Etherlight <lumin+usenet@etherlight.link> - 2026-06-09 03:02 +0300
  Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. gmc@metro.cx (Koen Martens) - 2026-06-09 06:17 +0000
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-09 06:55 +0000
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-06-09 19:44 +0000
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Top Dead Ctr <tdc@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-09 14:09 -0600
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> - 2026-06-09 23:52 +0000
        Re: ed Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-10 00:40 +0000
      Re: ed Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-10 00:38 +0000
        Re: ed John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-06-10 22:01 +0000
          Re: ed Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-10 16:43 -0700
            Re: ed Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-10 16:50 -0700
            Re: ed cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-10 23:53 +0000
              Re: ed Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> - 2026-06-11 00:12 +0000
                Re: ed Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-11 00:55 +0000
                Re: ed cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-11 02:00 +0000
                Re: ed Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-06-10 19:30 -0700
                Re: ed cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-11 11:31 +0000
                Re: ed Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> - 2026-06-11 15:02 +0000
              Re: ed Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-11 08:46 +0200
            Re: ed John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-06-11 14:28 +0000
          Re: ed cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-06-10 23:48 +0000
          Re: ed Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> - 2026-06-11 00:24 +0000
            Re: ed John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-06-11 14:11 +0000
              Re: ed Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-12 00:22 +0000
          Re: ed Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-11 00:53 +0000
            Re: ed Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-11 09:02 +0200
    Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-10 11:03 +0100
      Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-06-11 09:12 +0200
        Re: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______. Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-12 09:44 +0100
          Android editor (Was: ed __ ___ ________ ____ ______.) gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2026-06-12 09:03 +0000
            Re: Android editor Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-12 12:01 +0100

csiph-web