libraries and environments

[Bill Frantz]

At 6:37 AM -0800 5/7/98, Jonathan S. Shapiro wrote:
>I find myself writing a depressing number of library routines that
>take the same three or four capability registers as arguments.  In
>most cases, these registers hold things like the active domain key, a
>schedule key, or a space bank key.

In KeyKOS, we tended not to use libraries, but capability register
conventions sprung up from the specification of the factory.

I would suggest the following regarding capability register conventions:

(1) Each routine separately document all the capabilities it needs.

(2) The location of each capability be standardized across all the routines
in a particular library.

This way, you can preserve, at least at the documentation level, the
principle of least privilege, while enjoying the advantages of standardized
locations.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz       | If hate must be my prison  | Periwinkle -- Consulting
(408)356-8506     | lock, then love must be    | 16345 Englewood Ave.
frantz@netcom.com | the key.     - Phil Ochs   | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA