Status of DISCRIM

[Norman Hardy]

In current KeyKos systems DISCRIM is widely available. I would forsee that
any general KeyKos environment would provide a key called DISCRIM (in
directory sys, for example) but it might not me the real DISCRIM. It may
turn out to be important hide the real DISCRIM, but then a suitably
redefined DISCRIM would be made available.

For instance some schemes might involve "delayed reification" which would
want to do a last minute check before assuring that two keys were really
different. I don't know for sure that this trick is really useful. I don't
have concrete examples where it is useful but neither do I have a proof
that it is never useful; thus the scheme for making DISCRIM a key instead
of a system call.

Just because a key is generally available doesn't mean that I can't build a
vacuum compartment where it is not available!

Norman Hardy  <http://www.mediacity.com/~norm>