[TUHS] V7 ls and dot files?

[segaloco via TUHS]

On Tuesday, April 29th, 2025 at 12:19 PM, Jaap Akkerhuis via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> > On 2025 Apr 29, at 20:52, Rik Farrow <rik at rikfarrow.com> wrote:
> > 
> > I thought so too, but found this reference to a Version 1 mkdir:
> > https://man.cat-v.org/unix-1st/1/mkdir
> 
> 
> That is the command in man(1) and always existed. System calls documentation live in man(2).
> 
> jaap
> 
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> > 
> > I recall reading a Version 6 or 7 man page about mkfs that included the ability to populate a file system with some directories, and I thought that implied that users couldn't create directories. The man page referenced above hints that mkdir is run as the 'system user', presumably root, and becomes the owner of new directories.
> > 
> > Rik
> > 
> > 
> > On Tue, Apr 29, 2025 at 4:28 AM Jaap Akkerhuis <jaapna at xs4all.nl> wrote:
> > 
> > > I seem to remember that V7 was the first suystem which had a mkdir system call. That might have changed what ls -a showed.
> > > 
> > >         jaap

What I see in the history is:

V1 - mkdir(1) and mkdir(2) are both present, mkdir(1) indicates that:

> The standard entries "." and ".." are made automatically.

and this text persists through to V6 at least.

Whereas mkdir(2) states:

> The special entries "." and ".." are not present.

With V2, mkdir(2) is renamed makdir(2) but still retains this text.  In V4, this is replaced with mknod(2) which drops this text.  So for the purposes of . and .. the situation should be unchanged from V1 to V3, with V4 switching to mknod(2).  This is all from my mandiff project which is paused at V6 until a few more manuals from the time (namely USG PG-III and PWB/2.0) manage to crop up.  Comparing between V6 and V7 should lend more clarity to the situation.

- Matt G.