[comp.os.minix] ls *.s

bill@polygen.uucp (Bill Poitras) (09/22/89)

I am using the new ls that allow mult-column output.  My minix is 1.4a
running on a IBM-AT @ 6MHz.  When I do 'ls *.s' I get 'parameter list
too long' ( or is that 'argument list...'? ) Any way, why doesn't that 
work?  I have all patches to sh, and the new ls installed.  Any help
would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.


+-----------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Bill Poitras    | Polygen Corporation       | {princeton mit-eddie        |
|     (bill)      | Waltham, MA USA           |  buita sunne}!polygen!bill  |
+-----------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+

ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) (09/23/89)

In article <550@fred.UUCP> bill@fred.UUCP (Bill Poitras) writes:
>I am using the new ls that allow mult-column output.  My minix is 1.4a
>running on a IBM-AT @ 6MHz.  When I do 'ls *.s' I get 'parameter list
>too long' ( or is that 'argument list...'? ) Any way, why doesn't that 
>work?  

MINIX, in contrast to UNIX, builds the stack given to exec in user space.
Only 2K is presently allocated for it.  This is not enough.  I didn't want to
make it bigger because it makes all programs bigger, and I am so frugal.
People have been complaining about this for years.   Relief is in sight.
POSIX specifically says that this limit must be at least 4K.  I will change it
to conform to POSIX.  For the time being, change MM_STACK_BYTES to 4096 and
recompile all the libraries, all the utilities, the operating system--everything.
The routine exec knows about this size and it is used all over the place.

Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)