5 ms·

Wouldn't that break the concept of pipes though, that is the concept that you read from the previous program/keyboard/file and write to the next program/screen/

• inetknght 8y ago
  Why would it break the concept of pipes?
  • jimktrains2 8y ago
    When you write to stdout, you're often not writing back to where stdin came from. Pipes use this to chain programs, read from one, write to another.
    • inetknght 8y ago
      I don't think it breaks the concept of pipes. I think it breaks the concept of _pipelines_. When I think of pipes, I think of an operating system concept of synchronized DMA between unique address spaces. When I think of pipelines, I think of what you're talking about, a sequence of programs handling data between them. I don't see why a pipeline should be unidirectional though.
      • jimktrains2 8y ago
        > I don't think it breaks the concept of pipes. I think it breaks the concept of _pipelines_. Fair enough. > I don't see why a pipeline should be unidirectional though. Piplines usually only carry material from one side to the other :) (yes, pneumatic ones are different :)) It's part "just because that made sense at the time" and partially because it does make sense: Give data to A, take the output and process it, give that to C, &c. However, a bidirectional, or even multiple, pipe would have some advantages, such as signaling.